Paris
by Mrs. H Potter
Summary: After getting married Ron and Hermione move to Paris...with a child on the way...chap. 7... Sequel to Always and Forever. Hermione's point of view.
1. Moving In

**A/n: Hello! Or should I say, _Bonjour_! **

**So here we are in Paris, a beatiful city that I have never actually been to but as I go along I'm doing some research to make it as accurate as possible. And although Spanish is the language I took in school, I'm working on teaching myself French. So please understand if things aren't completely accurate. I'm trying. **

**As for updating, I am working on Chapter two and as long as I get over ten reviews I'll put it up as soon as I'm finished with it!**

**So now, I hope you all enjoyed the wedding. In this one they're...in Paris as the title suggests. The first chapter is just an introduction so please don't get bored with the details in the first chapter. It'll get better, I promise!!!!!!!!**

**So on with the chapter (if I knew how to say it in French I would!) **

**Always,  
****Kylie**

Paris. It was a new start for us as Ron and I began our new lives as husband and wife: happily ever after…ok well Ron and I still had some little fights to work out (like the argument over the fact that he wanted to paint the bedroom bright orange with the Chudley Cannons logo on it and I didn't) and right now I was stuck in our flat (literally) but things were looking…well they were looking better than ever!

The past couple weeks had been hectic. I was a nervous wreck and trying to get through a wedding. I managed too, only tripping on the sand after I said, "I do". Most people overlooked that because I fell into Ron's arms and we got our first kiss as a married couple. We left for the honeymoon the day after the wedding and despite the sunburns we had a really great week in the Bahamas.

Now we were in Paris! Last night was our first official night and Ron left this morning for work at seven. I was left with an empty flat and a credit card with no limit to buy furniture for it. Jacques thought we should pick out the furniture on our own. I was ok with that…and the limitless credit card.

My first stop this morning had been to this quaint little bookshop that was a few streets away from us. I picked up a decorating book...the only one in English...and then settled down at a café to pick out a color scheme.

I picked out a set of colors that were associated with autumn. It was supposed to be natural. Then the book suggested that I pick out a specific kind of furniture. So I went and purchased furniture that went together nicely with the color scheme.

I was already to wave my wand to paint the walls and then the furniture would be delivered. My plan worked out halfway. I painted the walls in the living room, bedroom, kitchen, spare bedroom, bathroom, the hallway, and the little office area that was in between the living room and the kitchen. Each room had a combination of some of the autumn colors. The paint came out nicely. Then the deliverymen showed up. Unfortunately the French that I knew wasn't enough to communicate to them where everything was supposed to go. By the time they left and I had given them a generous tip in Euros, the furniture was all over the place. I was actually laying on the bed that I had bought for us… in the living room. In an effort to find where I had dropped my wand, I had gotten stuck on the bed that was surrounded by a large bureau with a mirror, wardrobe, some bookshelves and an entertainment center. I'm not even sure how I got in there but at least when I fell from the bookshelves towards the ground, I had the mattress to land on.

Just when I was ready to give up and call my husband (I love saying that) to come rescue me, I spotted my wand near the foot of the bureau. It only cost me a bump on the head but I got it and then I was able to at least sort things into the right room. I tried to without breaking everything but one table didn't make it whole.

Now that the furniture was together, I had to unpack all (there was a lot) of the boxes. Ron had laughed at me for labeling the boxes _living room_, _bathroom, kitchen_…etc. but it had actually made things a hell of a lot easier for me.

The living room was painted a color called C_reme Sickle Orange. _We had a wooden entertainment center that was beautiful mahogany and it held our new TV, DVD player, and stereo system. On the shelves that were attached to it I put our DVD collection, a few leather bound books that were just for show and some of the pictures that we had. Facing the TV was a light brown leather couch and to the left of that was the matching oversized chair. I chose a mahogany coffee table that sat in front of the couch and had some magazines on it. Since the living room was so big I was able to put the dining room table and chairs in there (off to the back and under the new chandelier I bought.) There was plenty of room for it to be a living room/dining room combo so the room didn't look empty but it wasn't overcrowded either. I unpacked the remainder of the paintings, photos and knickknacks that we had in our previous living room and placed them in the right places in our new living room.

Next I was onto a different room. The living room was the main room of the flat. There was a spiral staircase in the corner that led up to the small bedroom otherwise known as the guest room. Behind the dinning room table was the entrance to the small office area, which in turn led to the kitchen. The other entryway in the living room that was to the right of the entertainment center, led to the hallway, which had three doorways in it. One was the door to get in and out of the flat, one was to the bathroom and the other was to the bigger bedroom that belonged to Ron and I. That was our flat.

I worked diligently, moving from room to room and unpacking our things. I went from the office to the kitchen and then the kitchen to the guest room...and so on.

It took a while but finally I was on the last room (the bedroom). The bed (that had been tricky to get down the hallway) was against the wall directly across from the door. I painted the walls in the bedroom a creamy color that was just the lightest shade of brown The bureau and the wardrobe went in the room along with two side tables that went on either end of the bed and a chest for storage that was at the foot of the bed. Now all I had to do was unpack the six or seven…actually the nine boxes that were in here.

There were the usual ones as I opened the first couple of boxes: clothes, bed linens, lamps for the side tables…all the basic stuff that was in our old room. I then came across a few boxes marked _closet_. Remembering that I had packed by magic and didn't look through things, I sat down to see what Ron and I had stored in the back of our closet.

The first box was holding even more boxes. I took out a small rectangular one with flowers surrounding it. Opening it up, I saw several small books were incased in this box that was the size of a shoebox. It took me a second but I realized that these books were my diaries from my first five years at Hogwarts. Torn between reading the diaries and seeing what else was left in the boxes I pulled out another small box that held all of the essays that I had done well on…which was just about every one considering I spent hours on them. There were five photo albums left. I took them out and each one had a label: first year, second year, and so on until fifth year. There were pictures inside each one of Ron, Harry, and I. Some were with Ginny but those were the later years.

I peered again in the empty box for more but I had emptied it out. Slowly, it came back to me as I remembered each summer when I would come home and put together all of these photo albums to remember Hogwarts. They stopped after fifth year because I had been so preoccupied with Ron that I never had a chance to finish. Mum must have given them to me when we first moved and I left them in the back of the closet.

I reached for the next box to uncover other treasures that I had when I heard a voice from somewhere in the flat.

"Whoa! What happened in here?" I smiled. My husband was home.

"In here sweetie!" I called. He followed my voice and found me spread out on the floor amongst the boxes and photo albums.

"Hey." He said, smiling and throwing his briefcase and coat down on the bed that I had just made with the white sheets and burnt orange comforter. He loosened the tie around his neck and kicked off his shoes. I was too excited about my discovery to scold him for that. There would be time for it later.

"Look at this." I said. Ron knelt down next to me and took a look at the photo albums.

"What's this?" He asked, planting a kiss on my cheek and falling into a sitting position with the photo album from first year in his hands.

"I kept all of this stuff from Hogwarts." I said.

"And you found it here? In Paris?" Ron joked with that goofy smile on his face.

"It was in the back of our closet at the old place." I informed him. "I think mum must have given them to me when we first moved in." Ron chuckled, looking through the photo albums.

"Thank god all of my stuff is tucked safely away in my closet at the Burrow." He said.

I smiled mischievously. The last time I had opened his closet at the Burrow to put our things away it was completely empty. Molly must have had the same idea as mum.

"Really?" I asked him. I opened the next box to discover an old set of Hogwarts robes that smelt old…and they were because they were Ron's from first year. Ron jumped toward the box in surprise and pulled it towards him.

"We can burn this later." He said. I laughed.

"Oh come on." I said, laughing. "There is nothing so embarrassing that you can't share with your wife." Ron's face softened. I knew if I pulled the wife card he would give in.

"It's nothing special." Ron said. "It's just stupid stuff from my past. You've probably seen everything in here."

"Yeah but it's _your_ stupid stuff." I said. Ron couldn't seem to reason with that logic. He put the box in front of us and pulled out a handful of old robes. Underneath was a pile of stuff, some of it was similar to mine but it was in there Ron Style: messy. I pulled out some old photos, old Quidditch magazines, and some old essays. It was the same stuff I had minus the diaries. We emptied out all of the photos and then at the bottom there was an old shoebox.

"Don't laugh." Ron said when he pulled out the box and lifted the lid. Inside were some papers, pictures, and a few objects that I didn't recognize…at first. "I kept all this stuff because I cared." He informed me. "There are a few things of Harry's too but most of the stuff is yours."

I understood when I took the box and opened it up. Notes that I had written Ron long ago about the three of us meeting in the common room after class to go over whatever we were learning in the next lesson, the homework planner that I had gotten him when we were fifteen, the mirror from when we were twelve, a candid picture of the two of us fighting that Harry had snapped, some Quidditch reminiscence, and then there were some notes that Harry and Ron wrote during class depicting how truly boring it was. I smiled as he picked up the mirror.

"I took this out of the hospital wing after Professor McGonagall told us what happened. I just wanted to keep it to remind myself that you were smart enough to figure out what it was that you would come out of this alive. And I promised myself that if you didn't make it out of it ok, Malfoy would pay." Ron said. He turned the mirror over in his hand and then looked at me. His expression looked as if he was waiting for me to laugh. Instead I kissed him and rested my hand on his.

"That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard." I said. "I can't believe you kept all of this. I knew you actually cared, I just didn't know how sweet and thoughtful you were back then." A blush rose in Ron's cheeks but he smiled proudly.

Ron and I spent the next hour going through the remaining two boxes of our past, one was his stuffed with pictures, school work, and old robes and the other one was mine with school work, and other memories. I slid my box of diaries under the bed, planning to look at them later on. Perhaps they would help me with writing my books.

"Now why don't you give me a tour of our…_château_?" Ron suggested.

"_Mais Ouí_." I replied. "But first…" I pointed to his coat, briefcase, and shoes. He smiled.

"_Bien sûr_." He said. Ron picked up everything that he left and I instructed him where to put them.

"Now," I said, "Let's begin the tour."

I led Ron through the coffee colored hallway. We stopped at the bathroom, which I had chosen to paint white. It had other white accents that I had found while shopping like towels and toothbrush holders. I even put in a white vase with a simple white flower. It looked pretty damn good from where I was standing.

"Nice." Ron said nodding approvingly. I smiled glad that my husband approved even though there weren't Chudley Cannons anywhere.

I led him into the living room now and practically had to pull him off of the leather couch and show him the office. Bookshelves lined the cinnamon walls and then there was a desk with a simple desk lamp and a comfortable chair. I had set it up with Ron's things knowing that he could put more use to it than I could.

"Like it?" I asked.

"Love it." Ron corrected. "In fact, I wish I had some work to do." I laughed upon hearing something that would never leave his mouth on normal circumstances.

We were on to the kitchen next. It was a small area, only for cooking but I managed to get a small breakfast table for two in there. When we had arrived there had already been appliances there. There was a steel stove that was attached to a counter and steel cabinets above it. Next to the stove was a fridge that matched the steel theme and across from that was a set of steel cabinets underneath the sink. The walls in here were painted a shade of _toast_ and I had only added the dishware that was given to us in the cabinets and our wedding china in the lower cabinets.

Ron reached to open the refrigerator and frowned when he found nothing in it.

"I saved the best for the both of us." I informed him. "We can both grow grocery shopping." Ron smiled. I could see by the look in his face that he was imagining the cookies, and other French sweets that he could sneak when I wasn't looking. Boy, was he in for a big surprise when I told him that we were both eating healthy from now on.

Ron changed from his work clothes into a pair of jeans and a black sweater that I had gotten him for Christmas. I pulled on my black coat and grabbed my purse as I waited for him to get his coat on.

We left our apartment and traipsed down the stairs to the Paris city. Our apartment was over a florist that was in a really nice part of the city…as Jacques told us but in my experience with the city from this morning, it was all an amazing city.

Upon arriving at the supermarket Ron spotted a whole aisle of cookies and even when I said no, tried to sneak it past me. But no, I was sticking to my word. Fresh fruits and vegetables, salad ingredients, everything that I needed to make several meals that I had discovered in a healthy cookbook.

"So what are we going to do tonight?" Ron asked as we walked back towards our flat, carrying three full grocery bags. "People usually do stuff on Fridays in Paris right?" He held two of the paper bags in one arm and then bit into an apple with his other hand, trying not to drop anything (I had told him that the apple was much better for him than the donuts he wanted; he claimed that it didn't taste better).

"Did you want to do something?" I asked. I had really just wanted to spend the night in, make dinner for Ron, and then crash on the couch with a movie in. But if Ron wanted to go out then I guess I could rearrange the plans.

"No, I was just thinking that eventually we should find out where the good bars and clubs were around here so that we know if we ever did want to go out." Ron bit into the apple again and nearly lost his grip on one of the bags.

"How about I make you dinner tonight and then we'll pop in a movie and tomorrow we'll go club hopping?" I smiled at Ron, even liking the idea myself. It could be fun to hit all of the popular spots in Paris. At least when Harry and Ginny came to visit we would have somewhere to take them.

"Alright." Ron said. He bit into the apple once more before it fell to the ground when the bags shifted. "Listen, hon, I'm sorry I have to work tomorrow since it's a Saturday and all but this is just a one time thing because I haven't been there more than a day."

"It's no big deal." I lied. "I was planning on getting my book going again anyways." That was another lie. I didn't know what I was going to do tomorrow after I sent the finished copy of the first one back to London for publishing. I wasn't even starting the next one until March. I had to do something about getting busy during the day.

That would be tomorrow's task, I decided. Because now we were reaching the apartment and I had a healthy meal to cook.

As Ron and I put the groceries away he told me about his day at the office. He explained about his office and all of the people who were working for him to get everything started. As I was reaching to take the cookbook out of a cabinet Ron swept me off my feet (literally) and kissed me. Our lips melted together for a few seconds before we broke apart.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"For being my always caring wife even if I don't really want to eat healthy food." He answered. I laughed as he lifted me higher in his arms. "You know, people in France don't usually eat until eight?" Ron said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yep, and it's only six-thirty." He said. I dropped the cookbook on the counter as Ron put me down and we kissed again.

Marriage was really working out for the both of us.

**a/n: REVIEW PLEASE!!!!**


	2. Famous in France

**A/n: Hey! OK, so I probably should have told you beforehand but I was going on vacation. I went to California and it's taken me three days to get everything back in order from my trip. I just finished this yesterday. **

**So before you go on to reading this chapter I have a question to ask that's kind of like a poll. With this question I greatly value answers because this is an important question. **

**Q: When should they have kids?**

**a. Soon! Within the next ten chapters Hermione should get pregnant!**

**b. Not that soon. They should get settled first and then maybe after the 20th chapter (please specify what chapter after 20)**

**c. A child would not be good for them at 18 and 19. Ron has a career and Hermione has (see this chapter to find out what she's doing). Wait until they have some money saved aside and are ready to bring a child into the world)**

**d. Never! A child would ruin their relationship. They'll have a lot of nieces and nephews so they don't necessarily need to have kids. **

**Please pick A, B, C, or D and I will take them all into consideration and make my decision or if you have another suggestion let me know!!! **

**Thanks,**

**Kylie**

For some reason the alarm didn't go off the next morning. Or it did but since Ron and I had fallen asleep watching _Breakfast At Tiffany's_ (my pick) on the couch we didn't hear it sound. The only reason we did get up was because my phone went off, incredibly loud, blasting the song Ron and I first danced to at our wedding.

"Hello?" I said, tiredly into the phone, not bothering to see whom it was.

"Good morning dear. How is Paris treating you?" Mum was chipper on the other end of the line. She wasn't usually this upbeat until she's had her usual cups of coffee in the morning…and that wasn't until at least eight a.m. and if it was eight there…that meant that it was nine here! Ron had to be at work two hours ago.

"Mum can I call you back in a few minutes?" I asked. "I was just trying to organize some things." Wow, I was really getting good at this lying thing.

"Sure dear. _Ou Revoir!_" The phone clicked off. I turned to see Ron just waking up on the couch.

"Morning." He said, sleepily smiling at me.

"Ron you were supposed to be to work at seven!" I was in a panic now, trying desperately to find pen and paper so Ron could write a letter to Jacques saying that he was on his way, but then I remembered that we left Pigwidgeon to his duties at the Gazette. Damn it!

"Relax babe, I don't have to be to work until ten today." He said, casually sitting back and opening his arms in a welcoming hug.

"Ron it's 9:30!" I told him as calmly as possible after checking the time on my cell phone. Ron yelled a curse word and jumped up from the couch. He started for the bathroom but then stopped and ran back to me.

"Good morning." He said, kissing me quickly and then racing for the shower again. I smiled and stood there for a moment taking in the fact that we were really married and this was great, then went to find an envelope to send my book manuscript in. I would now have to go find the wizard post office that was on some hidden street and possibly get lost. I had placed the manuscript in and envelope and was writing the address down on it when I heard a soft tapping.

It took me a minute to figure out if it was the window in the kitchen or the living room. I finally found the source of it in the living room. Hedwig was tapping at our window with a package attached to her foot. I quickly opened the window and let her in. She hooted a greeting and held out her leg. I unattached the rectangular package and petted her head. I opened the package to find a picture of Harry and Ginny, waving and smiling back at us. It was taken on the balcony of our old apartment. I picked up the letter that came with it as Ron exited the bathroom with a towel around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth.

"What's that?" He asked but since he had a mouth full of toothpaste it sounded like, "Wazzat?"

"Harry and Ginny are renting our old apartment." I said incredulously. "And apparently have permission to turn that floor of the building into one big apartment. They send their love and will come visit in a couple of weeks." I smiled at the letter and made a mental note to call them later.

Ron held up a finger and ran to the bathroom. I heard the sink run and a spitting sound then Ron came back out.

"Sounds like they miss us a lot." Ron said sarcastically.

"Oh come on." I said. "You didn't expect them to live in that small apartment forever did you? They're getting married and we moved out. It was either that or find a new apartment." I smiled at him.

"Yeah, I guess. We had the house to move into afterwards and now this place, which is much bigger than our other place." He reasoned. I smiled and hugged him but quickly pulled away for two reasons. One being that he was still dripping wet and the other…

"You're going to be late!" I exclaimed, noticing that he had ten minutes to get dressed. Ron dashed off to the bedroom while I headed to the office with the picture, the letter, and Hedwig. The picture made its home on the desk while I gathered up the things for the publishing company to send with Hedwig.

Thanking Hedwig, I sent her off to the publishing company back in London. Now, what to do? I looked around the living room and then started picking things up. That took…all of ten seconds. Ron came back out of the room with his briefcase in one hand, shoes in the other, tie in his mouth, and jacket thrown over his shoulder. I smiled, trying as hard as I could not to laugh.

"So tonight we'll go out and have some fun?" I asked, eager to do something…anything.

"Yep." Ron nodded, trying to put himself together. He squinted to look at the clock on the TV. "I hate to Apparate when I'm not too familiar with everything and it's pretty far but I don't think I have time to take the train." He stood up, put together although a little disheveled and gave me a kiss. "Well if my legs don't make it, send em' over later." I smiled and hugged him tightly after straightening his tie.

"I'll be home at six, we'll grab some dinner and then I'll find out where the good places are." He said and kissed me again.

"I love you." I smiled at him while he kissed me again.

"I love you too babe." He kissed me twice more and then Apparated off.

I fell on the couch and picked up my cell phone again, dialing mum's number. She answered in French.

"Hi mum!" I said. It sounded a little too cheerful.

"What's wrong?" She asked me, seriously noticing the overly cheerful tone.

"Nothing." I exhaled loudly. She laughed.

"Get a job." She told me. "Or volunteer at the library or try to take some classes in French."

"What?" I sat up thinking about each one of those ideas.

"You don't have to today, but on Monday find something to keep you occupied. Being a housewife is one thing, if there are children to raise and a house to keep in order but you need a job because you don't have those responsibilities."

Mum and I chatted for a little longer about what she had been up to since the wedding and then I promised to send her the pictures of our new place.

When the phone call was over I was left with nothing to do again. So I decided to get ready and get out. If there was nothing else to do I'd get lost in Paris (just a metaphor. I wasn't really planning on getting lost in Paris…hopefully).

After I had showered, I dressed in a pair of jeans with a white button down shirt and a black sweater over it. On my feet I wore black pumps and then I pulled on my coat.

Snow had started to fall lightly and it looked beautiful. Paris in wintertime, it's… incredible. Couples held hands and walked through the streets, families went into shops together, friends met at cafés. All the while snow started to cover this beautiful city that made me love it here even more. It was one of those moments where I knew we made the right decision.

After wandering around some shops for a little while and updating my wardrobe with some French accessories, I ducked into the bookstore that I had been into yesterday. It wasn't the biggest bookstore but it had a interesting feel to it. It was called _Un Bon Livre _(A Good Book is the English translation), and had a small French fiction section, and then the non-fiction section. If you looked hard enough you could find books written in different languages. There had to be some books in here that would help me learn to speak fluent French. As I was walking to the back in the direction of the back I noticed a door, shut but with no signs indicating that only employees could enter or that it was the bathroom. It was just there. Maybe it led to another part of the store or…people were just brushing past it, not even caring about the door and although it killed time to stand there, I had a book to find myself.

Ah ha! _French for the Non-French_. Not the catchiest title but it included a computer program and CD to help teach as well as the book itself. I turned around to bring my purchase up to the front when I bumped into a woman who stood behind me. I excused myself for bumping into her but she didn't seem to notice even though she was very thin and I nearly knocked her over. I recognized her as an employee from yesterday when I made my purchase.

"_Excusez-mai. Êtes-vous 'Ermione Granger?"_ I was surprised, considering I didn't know anyone in Paris but this woman seemed to know who I was.

"_Oui, je suis."_ I responded and her smile grew. She let out a jumble of excited French that I was having trouble understanding. _"Mon Fransais est mauvais."_ I answered and helplessly held up the book to let her know that I didn't understand what she was saying.

"Well zen we weel speak een English to make zings easier." She said. I smiled.

"How did you know who I am?" I wondered. She looked around at the people who were in the aisles next to us and then took my arm.

"Come wiz me." She said and led me to the door I had examined before. On the other side of the door was a whole other side of the bookshop. This one was bigger and people were entering from the entrance on this side. That was strange because when I had been on that street before there were a lot of shops but none were another entrance to the bookstore. It took me a second but I saw the title of a book and then noticed the house-elf behind the checkout counter. It all clicked and I realized that I had made it to the French version of Diagon Alley. Outside of the doors was a whole other street hidden away from muggles, _Ruelle Cachée_.

"You have a house-elf?" I asked, incredulously. I was ready to turn around and walk back out of the door (both of them) and never come back into this bookshop but the woman who led me here laughed.

"No of course not. Nobody _'as_ Aggie." She laughed again. "Aggie works 'ere. We pay 'er to work for us." I relaxed and looked around at the French Witches and Wizards who were buying books. "I am Marie Beaumont." Marie held out a slender hand.

"Hermione Weasley." I shook her hand and then saw behind her a very large bookshelf with a least a hundred copies of my book in any imaginable language.

"We 'ere are very beege fans of your book. We 'ave extras stocked in ze back for when we run out." Marie said, causing me to smile and ask questions.

I walked out of _Un Bon Livre_ with a promise that I would return for a book signing and book discussions. Marie introduced me to Aggie, and her husband Bertram after we talked for a while. They said that I was always welcome at _Un Bon Livre_ and then they wanted to hang a signed picture of me on the wall next to other authors who have visited the store. It was an incredible feeling to be recognized like this. I couldn't wait to tell Ron.

At six Ron was home with some food. I looked in the bag and smiled, Ron had thought to bring something healthy home.

"Have I mentioned that I loved you?" I asked kissing him as he placed the food on the dinning room table.

"It wouldn't hurt to hear it again." He said but before I could say anything he kissed me. He pulled away and we were both smiling at each other. "Now that was for our lack of time this morning." He said and he kissed me again. "And that one was because I love you too." I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Well, then I've got a couple for you…" I kissed him and we spent the next couple minutes saying hello like that. Then we had a seat at the dinning room table.

"So I've solved our problem of where to go tonight." Ron said.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, taking a bite from my salad. "Where are we going?"

"Well Trey, you know that guy who I told you about yesterday? He translates what I say into French and then what they say into English for me." Ron asked me. I nodded, vaguely recalling the mention of Trey. "Well I was asking him where the good places were and he said that he and his wife were going out anyway so they're going to show us the Paris nightlife. I invited them over at eight and then we'll go out at ten."

"What does his wife do?" I wondered, hoping to make a friend.

"She's a student at the _Université_. Studying to become a teacher."

"Where's the university?" I asked.

"On _Ruelle Cachée_, which is the Diagon Alley of Paris."

"I was there today." I said. "Well, at the bookshop that goes there."

"When?" Ron asked. "I thought you were going to be writing your book all day."

"I decided…a while ago…that I wasn't going to start that until March." I looked at Ron, wondering if he would notice that I lied to him yesterday. He did.

"Well what did you do all day?" Ron asked. He looked like he felt bad even though he had nothing to feel bad about. We both decided to come here and it was me who came here without thinking twice about working or having something to do.

"I shopped and then went to look for a book on French. I stopped at _Un Bon Livre_ and found out that there are people here who know about my book too." I went into detail about how they displayed my book in different languages on the large bookshelf.

"That's great!" He exclaimed and kissed me. He sat back down and held up his glass of water. "Then I'm proposing a toast." He declared. "To my beautiful wife who is so brilliantly charming that she is an author known and respected world-wide." I laughed and after the toast I told him all about Marie and Bertram, and the bookstore.

"And they have a house-elf, Aggie, who works there for them." I told Ron as we cleared the table. "Aggie worked there even before the book was out. These people really care about treating house-elves equally."

"See there are other people out there who care including that group that you and Helen started." Ron said. He pulled me in for a hug. "I can find a job at the paper for you if you want?" I smiled up at him.

"You don't have to worry about me. I'll find something to do."

"You're my wife, I'll worry anyways." I smiled and we kissed yet again.

"So let's go pick out what you'll wear tonight." I took his hand and pulled him in the direction of our room.

"Don't you think I can pick out what I'll wear on my own?"

"You're my husband, I know that you have no sense of style." Ron smiled at me but didn't protest.

Ron and I were ready about and hour later…well it took me an hour. Ron was ready before that. He wore dark jeans and a black button down shirt. Unsure of exactly where we were going I chose a simple black velvet slip dress and heels with a sweater.

Trey and his wife, Sasha, newlyweds as well. Trey was 21 and Sasha was 20. Ron said that Sasha was originally from Canada but moved to France when she graduated and Trey was born in the states but moved with his family to France when he was seven.

"Trey said she's very interested in school so that's something you guys have in common." Ron informed me as we waited for them to come.

"Ok." I said. I was a little nervous about meeting new people…as always, but I could handle it...hopefully Ron squeezed my hand although his gaze was focused on the TV. Five minutes later there was a knock on the door and Ron and I went to answer it.

The door opened and Sasha and Trey stood there. Trey was tall and thin with short, light brown hair and gray eyes. He had a warm smile and looked friendly. Sasha had straight hair with dark eyes. She made me think of snow white with her fair complexion, petite figure, and deep red lips. I saw that my choice of wardrobe was right for the night because Sasha had chosen to wear a simple black dress as well.

"Hermione, this is Trey Parker. Without him I would be stuck at work because I know just about three words in French. Trey this is Hermione." Ron said. "And you must be Sasha."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Sasha said, shaking his hand.

"I'm Hermione." I said, sticking my hand out to greet Sasha and Trey.

"We brought you a housewarming gift." Trey said, holding out a gift bag with a small model of the Eiffel Tower in it.

"I'm sorry." Sasha apologized. "I insisted on getting flowers but Trey thought that flowers weren't necessarily welcoming you to Paris." She smiled at me.

"No, it's fine. We haven't been to see the real one yet so this is perfect." I said. They laughed and I was starting to feel comfortable around Trey and Sasha.

"Come on in." Ron gestured to the hallway in front of us. He and I led Sasha and Trey into our home and brought them to the living room.

They both complemented us on the apartment. I joked that the painting was the easy part, not mentioning how, when the furniture came, I got stuck. We all went into the living room where I placed the Eiffel Tower on top of the entertainment center and took a seat on the couch next to Trey and Sasha. Ron had a seat in the leather chair.

"I've read your book." Sasha informed me, right off the bat. "Personally, I have never been too conscious of house-elf rights but one day I was looking through the bookstore and surprisingly that was the only book on that subject so I just had to pick it up. Not only was it a really great subject to write on, but Hermione, you write really well and told the story of what the house elves have to go through."

"Thank you." I said, extremely surprised but also glad that I got that kind of praise.

"Are you working on anything new?" Sasha questioned.

Trey and Ron began having their own discussion.

"Actually, I just sent the first in a series of six books off to my publisher today." I responded and then described the series I was writing.

"That is going to be a popular series." Sasha decided. "Everyone's going to want to know what really happened." I smiled, that was true. Now, I was even more excited for the book to come out in March

Sasha asked questions about my book while I answered them, happy to be speaking to someone that was truly interested in my writing while Ron and Trey talked about the office, laughing loudly and then starting a game of chess that seemed to go on forever. Eventually Sasha and I got on the topic of school.

"By the end of next year I'll have enough credits to be a student teacher and then the year after I'll be able to become a full-fledged teacher." Sasha informed me.

"What do you want to teach?"

Wizarding colleges typically had classes that were required to be taken for most careers or classes to know a subject at an advanced level. There were a lot of courses required to be a teacher.

"I want to teach law and justice. It's always been an interest of mine."

"That's interesting. I'd like to learn more about law and justice of the wizarding world." _Maybe I could take a few to keep myself occupied_, I thought. "What other classes do they offer there?" Ron turned his attention to our conversation while Sasha spoke.

"Why don't you come with me on Monday and you can sit in on some of my law classes. If you're interested maybe you could enroll in a couple classes." The thought of going back to school sounded exciting, especially a school in Paris. A French class, some law classes and a few other interesting courses…it would be great and give me something to do.

"Sure, that sounds great." I smiled, thinking about learning something that would help me figure out a career direction while I'm here in Paris. Sasha told me all about her classes and interest in becoming a teacher. It all sounded like something that I should have done ages ago.

"You're going back to school?" Ron finally asked after Sasha was done speaking about teaching.

"I think I just might." I said, smiling and even considering teaching History of Magic or something. Ron smiled at me and I could tell he thought that that was the perfect thing for me to do.

At ten, Trey and Sasha took us to their usual spots on a Saturday night. A Piano Bar, Jazz Club, and then onto the early hours of the morning we stopped at a Salsa Club that they added to our Saturday night itinerary when they found out Ron and I loved Salsa.

At two, Ron and I crashed down on top of our bed, tired and worn out.

"That was fun." Ron said, rolling over to face me.

"Yeah. It was." I added, sleepily. We danced and had a good time, which we would do again next Saturday night.

"I'm glad you're going to go back to school for teaching." Ron said. "You'll be great." He yawned.

"I think so too." I said.

Monday morning, I would meet Sasha in _Un Bon Livre_ and after sitting in on a few of her classes, I was going to enroll as a student to get a degree in teaching.

**A/N: Please review and answer the poll question!!!!!!!**

**Thanks,**

**Kylie**


	3. Midnight

**A/n: Hey guys! I have been trying to get this chapter up since thursday and now it's finally letting me!!! Keep up with the reviews because I'm almost done with four!!! And I have off of school this week so I have a lot of free time! **

**Thank you all for the reviews and answers to the poll question. Unsurprisingly no one picked D. There were a variety of other answers though…but I'm not going to tell you what I picked. When it comes in the next few chapters or thirty chapters from now, you'll know. The surprise is better!!!**

**Thanks for the reviews!!**

**Hope you like it!!!**

**I'll update ASAP!!!**

**Always,**

**Kylie**

Eleven o'clock rolled around on Sunday morning before Ron and I even opened our eyes.

"Morning." Ron yawned as I rolled over into his arms. My eyes felt like they were stuck closed, and I realized that I hadn't even washed the make-up off my face last night.

"Yep." I said. I was extremely tired and planned on relaxing for the whole day…except one thing that I had noticed last night, and for the past two days that we had been in Paris. "Ron." I started, shutting my eyes and snuggling closer to him.

"Mmhmm?" He responded, tired as well. (We over-exerted ourselves last night with all of the dancing …until two a.m.)

"I think we need to go shopping today." I said.

"You noticed too?" Ron asked. I laughed to myself as I fought back the sleepiness.

"That our clothing is much more casual than the entire population of France? Yes."

"Well, if we're moving here should we go out and buy some stuff so we at least look like we belong?" Ron questioned.

I wasn't too sure that I wanted to change my style but then again, this was a life lesson: adapt to your surroundings. If we were in Paris for only three months or over three years, at some point we would have to learn how to speak the language, eat the foods, and wear the clothing.

"I think, if we're going to live here, we have to." I decided. "I say that we go shopping today and that'll be our initiation into Paris. This is after all the fashion capital of the world…as Ginny keeps telling me." Ron laughed.

"Sounds good." He leaned over and gave me a kiss that woke me up from the in between stages of sleep and awake, and we both got up and got ready to go out for the day.

With the money coming in from the bookstore, the Gazette back home and the Gazette here while we were paying rent or household bills. We did have some money to spend on clothing. We left our apartment in search for some fashionable French shops.

xxx

Five hours later we were back with armfuls of bags. We found lots of shops that held very nice French clothing. At one of the stores we even found a pleasant saleslady who spoke English and gave us some tips on where to go and what to buy. All in all, I think we had enough choices to last through work, school, home, and those weekend clubs.

xxx

Monday I wore a wrap skirt that reached just above my knee with a white scoop neck top. I wore a black tank top underneath that and then added some accessories (i.e. new jewelry, headband, and purse). I slipped my feet into a brand new pair of black pumps that _ouch!_ weren't broken in yet. Well, all in all I'd say I was dressed moderately French. I didn't completely change my style, just dressed it up a little.

Ron came back into the bedroom wearing a new dark gray suit. He had a white shirt on with the gray pants to the suit.

"Which tie?" He asked. He held one up and then the next one. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. They were the same color and all except one had vertical stripes and one had diagonal. It was kind of funny to see him care about fashion.

"Hmmmm…" I said, pretending I was considering this very seriously. "Diagonal." I finally decided.

"Good choice." Ron said, stealing my place in front of the mirror and beginning to tie his tie. I laughed and went to go pour myself a cup of tea.

I was excited to go sit in on a few of Sasha's classes. I had come to the conclusion that we had enough in our savings, from selling the house for me to enroll part-time and take a few classes. So after Sasha's last Monday class at noon, we were going to stop by the admissions office so that I could enroll part-time. I was actually going to go for becoming a teacher! That was even more exciting but there was a certain queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. That also happened before the wedding, before I moved to Paris, and even every year on the train to Hogwarts without fail. Before the wedding I had finally learned that this was the good kind of nervous, and that I could deal with.

In my purse I placed a notebook and notes on the University. I was ready!

Ron and I left the apartment and headed in the direction of the train station that was on the way to _Un Bon Livre_ where I was going to meet Sasha.

"How're you feeling?" Ron asked as he held my hand and we walked down the street, bundled up against the middle of January weather (it did make me miss the Bahamas a little).

"I'm excited. You know, it just seems like this teaching thing is meant for me. I've always like History of Magic. It's so interesting to learn about how it all happened." I looked over at Ron who was smiling at me. "And then re-teaching it to you and Harry because you weren't paying attention in Binn's class was fun too." Ron chuckled.

"Hon, you'll make a great teacher." He said. His sincerity made me even happier that it had all worked out this well. He gave my hand a squeeze and I felt much warmed, despite the freezing temperature outside.

"So Trey and I were talking and we decided that we would meet you two for lunch on Campus. Does that sound ok?" Ron asked.

"Definitely." I said. We approached the train station where Ron had to get on to get to the Gazette office.

"I love you." He said. "Have a great day."

"You too." I kissed him and smiled. "Love you."

He kissed me again and then had to go before he missed his train while I started for _Un Bon Livre_ to meet Sasha.

"'Ermione!" Marie called. "'Ow are you?" She rushed over and kissed both cheeks as I entered the wizard section of the store.

"I'm fine and how are you? Bertram?" I smiled as she responded and then quickly caught Marie up on my new plan.

"Congratulations!" Marie exclaimed. "You weel make a wonderful teacher!"

"Thank you." I smiled, flattered, and noticed Sasha looking for me. I said bye to Marie and headed to meet Sasha.

"Hey." Sasha said as I approached. She had a briefcase-type bag with her that held all of her books and notebooks. I made a mental note to get myself one of those for my classes.

"Hi." I said.

"Ready for class?" Sasha asked, smiling.

"Of course!" I said, ready and excited. I began following her, back into the cold and in the direction of the University, which I could see from here. It looked stunning. I couldn't wait to be inside (and not just because of the cold).

"Our first class is in fifteen minutes, just enough time to get a good seat, and then there's one right after that at ten. The first class is where we hold mock trials and everyone gets a part. We get evaluated on how well we understand the laws of the Wizarding community. And the one at ten is developing the skills needed to become a teacher. Sometimes we do some role-plays to show what is right and wrong in some situations and we also write essays that she grades. After that one is over at noon, I think Ron told you that we're meeting him and Trey for lunch and then we can take you to talk to someone about enrolling." Sasha spoke as she walked and I could tell that she cared about school and taking notes and paying attention, sort of like me.

"Sounds good." I said. This was definitely going to be fun.

"Are you nervous at all?" Sasha asked.

"Kind of, but I'm more excited to go back to school and learning. You have no idea how much I loved being in school for the first seven years."

"I actually do." Sasha laughed. "I loved school to and decided to come learn out here. I was so nervous that I threw up on the morning of my first day."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yep." She nodded and laughed. "That was after I made a complete fool of myself by walking into the wrong classroom, sitting down and then realizing I was in the journalism class instead of the law class."

"What did you do?" I asked as we started walking again.

"Nothing." Sasha laughed. "I was too nervous to get up so I sat there and listened to the professor. After class the guy who sat next to me came up to me and asked me what I was doing in the journalism class with my law studies book." She smiled, thinking back. "I broke down into tears, telling him that I went into the wrong class. He took me to the bathroom to clean off my face and I threw up then. I didn't realize it until much later but not only was I a nervous wreck, but falling in love as well."

I smiled as I realized where the story was going.

"We were married nearly a year later and now we're happy newlyweds."

Sasha and I entered her class five minutes later. The room was set up as if it were a courtroom. I was really impressed by the likeness. Everyone came in and had a seat at the desks behind the courtroom set up.

"Sasha, I don't know that much French." I said, expressing my fear of not being able to understand what was going on.

"Don't worry–" Sasha started but was cut off as the professor came in and greeted the class. I was surprised that I understood him, completely. He spoke in French but I could understand every word he said. "Language barrier spells." Sasha whispered. Now it made sense.

"So." The professor started in French as he took his place in front of the class. "A woman is working where she "slips" on a spilt item and breaks her leg in three parts. She has a Healer's report claiming that her leg is fixed but another break could mean permanent disability. The lady in question is taking the store to court, planning on suing the store where she broke her leg for every Knut they're worth." He began handing out packets with more detail on the case.

"Isn't it possible for the leg break to be a scam. Couldn't she be setting this whole thing up to get some money out of it? Is it possible that this Healer is just a Quack?" A student asked in what sounded like Italian…I understood every word of it.

"But what if this woman is telling the truth?" Sasha asked. She flipped open the packet and looked over a certain part. "It says here that she is a single mother, raising three young children. There's a background on her that Albus Dumbledore, himself would be proud of. She could be telling the truth."

The guy who spoke in Italian opened his mouth to retort but the professor cut him off. "Both very good arguments." The Professor said. "Mrs. Parker, I believe you will be our Prosecuting Attorney and Mr. Russo you will be the Defense." The Professor started assigning parts off to people as Sasha began scribbling down notes on what she could use to back up the claim.

By the end of that first class I was amazed with how great this all was, and really excited for the next class. This was exactly what I wanted to do: learn and teach…I couldn't wait!

"What did you think?" Sasha asked. "I don't think she could have been lying. Did you see her background? I think I can win this."

"I think there's a good chance that the Healer letter is legitimate and she actually did break her leg in three parts and could be permanently disabled. But what's her motive for suing? She's a single mum with a steady income who doesn't seem like she'd hurt a fly." Look at me; I was having an intelligent discussion about classes!

"Hospital bills." Sasha said. "They're pretty expensive and she can't work anymore due to the possibility of slipping on a spill that no one cleaned up. She has to have something to keep her three kids fed and clothed while she's in the process of looking for a new job." Sasha seemed very passionate about this. She definitely had a knack for this law stuff.

"You know what, I think you have a decent chance of winning this case." I said. Sasha smiled modestly and muttered something about finding good evidence but I could tell she felt the same. I wanted to be this passionate about something, which made me even more eager to sign up in those History of Magic classes.

In the next class we had a seat and a woman professor stood in front of the classroom.

"Good morning!" She greeted happily in French that I understood. "Today is another Essay day." There was a shuffle of papers and I wondered if I should take out my own notebook that sat, unused, in my bag. Sasha handed me a piece of paper.

"Practice." She whispered. So I poised my pen above the paper, waiting for directions.

"You are teaching a class of students that have just recently graduated from their Basic Wizarding Education schools. It's the first day and none of them are sure what to expect. In your given field, write a thousand word essay on how you would handle this class and what you would have them do on their first day. Hand it in to me by the end of class, this assignment is graded and will be a possible essay choice on your final exam. Go."

Everyone began scribbling down things and as I considered that, I had a perfect idea on how I would begin a class like that. I wrote my name at the top of the paper before I began scribbling things down on my paper as well until I noticed someone was standing in front of me. I looked up to find the Professor there.

"Are you new?" She asked.

"Actually, I'm just sitting in on this class." I responded. She smiled and took a look at the notes I wrote on my paper. "I'm thinking about enrolling." I added.

"History of Magic?" She asked. I nodded. "And you went to Hogwarts? I nodded yet again, not quite sure how she knew that. "If you do happen to see him, let Old Binns know I say hi, and Mrs. Weasley, I really enjoyed your book." She went back to her desk before I could say anything else. I looked at my name on top of the paper and realized that here, my book sat on display for everyone who crossed from Muggle Paris to Wizard Paris. It wasn't uncommon for people to know who I was. I smiled as my mind went back to the task at hand and by the end of that class I had a whole lesson planned out for my first class as a History of Magic professor.

Tucking my paper into my purse I turned to follow Sasha out the door but stopped when the Professor called my name again.

"I hope to see you in here again." She said.

"Definitely." I said, already planning on taking this class.

Sasha led me to the lunchroom in the University as we both discussed what we wrote.

"I'm impressed." Sasha said. "I never thought I would actually want to know about the history of magic but your class sounds kind of interesting." I smiled. This was definitely going to be fun.

"Guess what?" Ron asked as he approached our table with a small piece of paper in hand.

"What?" I asked.

"Look." Ron dropped the paper on the table and I saw that is was a blank check…written out by Jacques.

"What is this?" I asked. Ron took the seat next to me as a smiling Trey sat next to Sasha.

"Jacques came into my office today and asked how you were doing. I told him about your plan to become a teacher and he whipped out his checkbook and said that the publishing company would cover the cost for your schooling." This was good news, very good news because now it meant that I could be a full-time student. But we couldn't accept money like this.

"Ron, we can't–"

"That's what I told him at first but he said to consider it as a grant from them because The Gazette took you away from your bookstore and he knows you'll be an awesome teacher. Hermione, this is perfect." I smiled. Ron was smiling back at me and then I leaned in to kiss him.

"I'm going to be a teacher!" I exclaimed, still smiling.

"And a damn good one!" He said.

After we ate something from the University's cafeteria, Ron and Trey had to get back to work so I followed Sasha with the blank check in hand. Books, classes and enrollment fees. I was really going to become a student here!

"Fill out zeze forms 'ere, and zeze 'ere and zen zeze. As soon as you are done with zem, zen come see me and we'll take care of your course schedule." The woman behind the desk said.

"Sure." I took the clipboard and turned around, bumping into someone.

"Watch it!" That person exclaimed in a familiar voice that I knew all too well. I was looking directly at Pansy Parkinson, someone who I hoped to never see after graduation. Just my luck.

"Parkinson?" I asked, incredulously. She had turned to leave but turned back.

"Granger?" She asked. We both eyed each other, glaring and not too happy to see each other. Sasha noticed the tension and stood by my side.

Pansy Parkinson and I had outgrown our silly childish, slapping games. I had grown up, as did she. I could see in her eyes that she was not quite the same person.

"Actually it's Weasley now." I said. I held up my left hand to show her that Ron and I had gotten married.

"Figures." She said with a sneer. "And it's no longer Parkinson." She held up her own left hand, which held a giant diamond and wedding band. "It's…Malfoy."

"Figures." I responded in the same tone. We both stared at each other a moment longer before Pansy began to brag.

"Draco has an amazing job at a law firm here so he and I moved here several months ago." She bragged.

"Congratulations." It came out strained.

"Yes, well he makes good money, but I thought that I would get out of the house and do something to occupy my time until we have more children." She fingered an expensive-looking diamond necklace around her neck and looked at me. "What brings you and Weasley here?"

"Ron's paper is going international. We're here for a while so I decided to go back to school and try my hand at teaching." I responded.

"Right, I heard something about that Gazette thingy." Pansy said snootily. The fact that we were having an adult conversation like adults was a little weird.

I opened my mouth to retort but a woman with long blond hair rudely pushed in front of me, blocking me from Pansy.

"Pansy, did you get this all taken care of?" The blond woman asked in a snotty tone, handing something to Pansy.

"Yes, Narcissa." Pansy replied dully.

"Good." The woman said, she sounded even snottier than Pansy did. "Now let's go. We need to find a good nanny for Ella."

Malfoy's mother moved out of the way so that I could see Pansy once again. I noticed what Narcissa Malfoy had handed off to her daughter-in-law. There was a baby in Pansy's arms now. She had Malfoy's gray eyes but Pansy's dark hair growing in. A baby? This surprised me a little because we hadn't even been out of school for nine months. So Pansy had to have been at least four months pregnant before she graduated. This was something I didn't know, and most likely, I was one of the few who now knew.

Pansy glared at her mother-in-law before turning back to me. I could see in her eyes that she was daring me to ask about her baby but I kept my mouth shut about that.

"See you around." I said. Pansy regained composure and turned to go.

"Goodbye." She said stiffly, exiting the office. It wasn't as if Pansy and I were about to become best friends but I definitely felt mature for having a _decent_ conversation with her.

I completed all of the paperwork necessary, with Sasha's help and then brought the, back up to the desk.

"How eez zis?" The woman at the desk asked, tapping her wand against a blank course sheet. It printed in English so that I could read it.

Monday: General History of Magic 10:00 am

Teacher's Development Skills 101 2:00 pm

Tuesday: Psychology 101 8:30 am

European History of Magic 101 11:00 am

Aspiring Teacher's Need To Know… 3:00 pm

Wednesday: Sociology 9:00am

American History of Magic 101 12:00 pm

Teaching History of Magic 101 5:00 pm

Friday: Ancient Egyptian History of Magic 101 7:00 am

Magical Wars 101 1:00 pm

She explained to me that I would have to take the basic teaching and History of Magic classes for the first year and then next year I could start to take classes that interest me in other areas besides my major. Their idea was to get the difficult classes out of the way so that in your second year you can be more flexible with the classes you take and in your third, you can take some classes and be a student teacher, and finally become an actual teacher after three years.

"And 'ere are some flyers on upcoming lectures and workshops for new students. Your classes weel begeen tomorrow." I took the flyers and a student ID card, knowing that this was it. I was a student here!

Sasha and I parted ways, me in the direction of home to begin making lists of what I would need. Two blocks away from my apartment, I noticed a cat following me. I stopped and it stopped, looking up at me curiously. I began walking again and it began walking again. I stopped and it stopped… The cat had no collar or form of identification. I wondered if it was a stray because of it's thin frame underneath a coat as dark as midnight. It was actually quite adorable. I began walking, in hopes that the cat would leave me alone but I had no such luck.

"Go home cat." I pleaded. The cat reminded me of Crookshanks, in the way it followed behind my feet and mysterious green cat eyes. Two years ago the poor cat (Crookshanks) had wandered off into the Forbidden Forest, never to be heard from again.

For two blocks the mysterious cat, Midnight (ok so I shouldn't have even been thinking of names for it but it's fur was really black and midnight seemed appropriate. Like it was meant for her name to be Midnight). I attempted to open the door the led to the stairs that would in turn lead to our apartment without letting Midnight in but she managed to get passed me. I raced after her with my wand out, prepared to de-flea and get rid of the other germs that could have been picked up on the street. (I even gave her a bath!)

At quarter to three, I was drying off a freshly cleaned (and a little aggravated) Midnight when a thought occurred to me. I had always wondered this every time I saw an animal after what happened with Scabbers. I took out my wand once again…

Negative. Midnight was just a cat, a very friendly cat. She brushed against my leg and looked up at me, giving me a sad look. _This is the way you get attached_. I told myself as I got her a bowl of water. _Ron will never go for it_. I couldn't help it though; I have a soft spot for cats. Which is good enough reason that in addition to making a list of books and school supplies, I made a list of cat supplies. And then went to go buy them.

This was not good. Midnight had her own little room in the corner of the kitchen and she was just so adorable when she purred and followed me around as I got my school things together and began making dinner.

"Hey, hon? How did enrolling go?" Ron yelled as he entered our apartment a little after six. I was putting the final touches on dinner and Midnight was exploring the kitchen. I could hear him coming closer and decided that I would try and play this off innocently, hoping that it would work.

"You'll never guess who I ran into." I yelled back. Footsteps sounded in the office and I could hear him putting his briefcase down. Bracing myself for explaining, I heard a loud hissing and turned to see Midnight darting away from the area where Ron stepped on her tail. "Ron!" I exclaimed, picking Midnight up and holding her to my chest, trying to comfort her.

"What the hell is that?" Ron asked.

"Ron!" I protested again. "You just stepped on her tail!"

"Why is there a cat in our apartment?" He looked down and saw the little area I had set up for Midnight. "Shouldn't I be asked if we were going to get a pet? I mean, we could have bought a dog instead of a stupid cat." I was appalled that Ron would even suggest that. "That is if we even decided to get a pet. 'Mione, these things are a lot of work."

"Well, I didn't plan on Midnight following me home. Ron, she's homeless. The poor cat was just bones and fur. I promise I'll take full responsibility for her. Look at her, how can you say no?" I held Midnight out to him and he backed off a little as if she were going to scratch him.

"Oh no, you named it before you even got here didn't you?" Ron asked.

"Maybe." I shrugged. "And it's _she_ not it." He took another look at her.

"It's got those same creepy eyes like Crookshanks." He said. Midnight hissed quietly while I frowned at him. "Well how do you know it isn't an Animagus? Remember Scab–"

"_She_ is not one. I already tested. She's clean and will be no trouble."

Ron sighed loudly. "You knew I was going to give in didn't you?" He asked. I shrugged and tried to look innocent, placing a restless Midnight down. She went straight for her food bowl. "Fine. _She_ can stay." Ron declared. I let out a squeal of excitement and jumped into Ron's arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I exclaimed kissing him. Midnight noticed the joyful exchange. Somehow, I think she knew that Ron was going to let her stay because she walked past us to head for the living room and lightly brushed against his leg. It was a simple sign of affection but it was a start.


	4. Two Is A Lucky Number

**A/n: hey! Here is chapter four!!! Hope you like it. Five is done, six is in progress and I'm keeping going so as soon as the ten reviews mark is hit I'll update again!!!  
****Enjoy!  
****  
Always,  
****Kylie**

A week and a half after I enrolled in school I had come to the conclusion that: I love school! It wasn't as if I didn't know that but it was just so great to be learning new things again. I had classes almost every day and there was so much to learn. In between the different classes I would go to the library and work on homework, papers, or just do some more research on what we would be studying. It was great to be doing something productive.

It was Thursday and I was home, working on a paper for my Psychology class. I had no classes today, but as nice as it was to go to school, it was nice to just kick back for a day and worry about grocery shopping, cleaning the house, organizing things at home, and preparing for friends to finally visit! They were planning on coming up last weekend but Ginny was behind on schoolwork and Herald work so she had to stay at school. They were heading up tomorrow and would be here around 4:00, so I could pick them up after class. They were taking the Chunnel instead of a Portkey because it was easier.

Midnight jumped up on my lap, startling me out of my reverie. I was halfway done with my essay but I could still take a break from my computer to feed her. Over the past week and a half she and Ron had developed a little bond. He would come home and scratch her behind the ear and then when he thought I wasn't looking he would sneak her an extra treat, despite my rule on limiting her to only one treat per day. It was cute. I even came home from class on Wednesday to find them on the couch, watching a DVD and she was sitting in his lap. He may _think_ he hates cats but I know better…I'm his wife.

"…reasons why Psychology is a major required for an aspiring teacher to take." I read the last line of my paper out loud as I finished. Finally! Now it was…only four and Ron wouldn't be home for another two hours. Considering that he had been working hard at work, I though that maybe I would surprise him with something special tonight.

xxx

The room was lit dimly by fragrant candles giving off a romantic aura in the room while Ron and I sat on the couch cuddled together watching _Walk The Line_. I had gone out to buy ingredients to make a couple of things for us to snack on while we watched the movie. It was nice just to sit next to him and watch the movie while Midnight sat on the other side of him and he absent-mindedly petted her. My head was resting on his chest and my feet were sprawled out on the couch. His arm was around me and despite the fact that I couldn't see his face, I could tell he was watching to movie with a serious expression on his face. We were both wearing sweats to just be comfortable and even though I had no make up on my face and my hair was a mess in the bun I had haphazardly put it in I could tell he thought I was the most beautiful woman in the world. Just like I knew he was the most attractive guy in the world even though he was wearing that stupid faded orange Cannons shirt with holes in it that he had since he was twelve. (I don't mind him keeping the shirt for memory's sake but come one, wearing it?) This was nice how comfortable we were. It felt like this was what it was supposed to be.

I turned my head to look up at him and see his expression while the movie was playing. I couldn't help but smile when he looked back at me.

"Hey." I whispered, smiling.

"Hey." He replied, smiling back. I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his while he kissed back. We were in the process of leaning back against the couch when Ron lost his balance and fell off of the couch. I started laughing and rolled on my side to look at him.

"You ok hon?" I asked, in between fits of laughter. He smiled, devilishly and pulled me off of the couch, on top of him. I was laughing ever harder now while he smiled at me. "What?" I asked with a laugh.

"I love you." He said. I responded the same way and met my lips with his. His hands ran over my bare arms, sending shivers down my spine as I reached for the end of Ron's shirt to tug it off, eager to feel the sensation of his bare skin against mine. When the shirt was removed I ran my hand over his bare chest while his muscles quivered under my touch. I pulled the tank top I was wearing over my head and brought my lips down to his once again, pressing my body against his.

In mid kiss, Ron took control and rolled over so that he was on top of me. His hands caressed my body while he pressed his lips against my neck and helped me wriggle out of my sweatpants. We've had sex many times before but the best times were always the unpredictable ones (like now for example when we had gone from watching the movie to on the floor kissing and undressing each other.) We both enjoyed the spontaneity of it. This was one of those amazing, spontaneous times that made me feel even closer to Ron than before.

xxx

The next morning I was supposed to be at my AEHM (Ancient Egyptian History of Magic) class at seven. I woke up at five forty-five, tired considering Ron and I hadn't gone to sleep until after two. Giving it another minute, I rolled over and looked at Ron, sleeping soundly. I smiled at him while I watched him breathing in and out. This wonderful guy was the reason I lived. He made everything worthwhile. For several more minutes I just watched him sleep, wishing that he didn't have work and I didn't have a class so that we could stay in bed all day and continue where we left off last night. Eventually I knew that I had to get up. Yawning, I pulled my self out of bed after giving Ron a kiss and pulled on a robe, leaving the room to get the shower running.

Forty-five minutes later I was showered, made-up, dressed (in a pretty mixed print top with a scoop neck and empire waist and a nice pair of black pants with heels) and standing in the kitchen, feeding Midnight before I had to run (literally) to class. I had been smiling ever since I woke-up. I felt happy. Partially because of the previous night, partially because our friends were coming up to visit that night, partially because I was going to one of my favorite History of Magic classes, and partially just because it was a good day. Everything seemed great at that moment. Life was good!

xxx

After my Magical Wars class at one, I headed home to drop off my things before I would have to pick Harry and Ginny up. My cell phone began ringing as I hung my coat up in the hallway.

"Hello?" I asked, cell phone balanced under my chin while I attempted to hang my coat up.

"Penelope's in labor!" Ron exclaimed loudly into the phone. I dropped both my cell phone and my coat. I stumbled to pick the phone up again.

"Has she had him yet? Is he healthy? She's in St. Mungo's right?" I threw out a ton of questions, not realizing that Ron might not know that answers to all of them.

"Ginny just called. She and Harry were headed over there. They don't know much yet except it's going to be a while. I'm finishing up here now and I'll meet you at the Chunnel in a half hour. We're going to stay at Harry and Ginny's for the night and we'll bring them back tomorrow." Ron explained.

"Ok. I'll pack." I informed him, and gleefully ran to our bedroom, hanging up the phone.

Thirty minutes later Ron and I were on our way to go see our new nephew.

We arrived at St. Mungo's and rushed to the waiting area where the whole Weasley family was awaiting the birth of the new arrival. Molly was in the room with Percy and Penelope, Arthur was holding his grandson and granddaughter, Alison was rubbing her pregnant belly while Charlie looked like he was talking to it, Fred and Angelina seemed to be discussing something with Bill and Fleur and George and Alicia were talking with Harry and Ginny. When they saw us, everyone got up to greet us, happily. It made me realized how much I had missed them all while we were gone.

"Oh, wow, look at you!" I said to Alison who was only two weeks away from her own due date. "How are you?" I hugged her and we chatted for a few seconds before George pulled me in for a hug and messed up my hair, calling me his sister.

"What's this?" Fred asked, grabbing the arm of Ron's suit. I looked down at myself and then back over at Ron. We were both a tad overdressed.

"It looks like a suit." George joined in. "Wow, Ron. That's new."

"Shut it." Ron ordered while they laughed.

"Any news yet?" I asked, to change the subject.

"They're trying to keep her as comfortable as possible but that baby's not coming out." Angelina answered.

"I feel badly for 'er." Fleur said, since she knew what it was like to be in labor for hours.

Since Ron and I had not seen Alexis and Cecilia in a while, we relieved Arthur of them and sat down, holding our niece and nephew. Arthur lay back in his chair, tired from the excitement of the day.

"Hi baby!" I said, holding Cecilia up. "Ron, look how big she's gotten!"

"I know!" Ron added excitedly. "Lex here is going to be as big as his Uncle Ron." I smiled, watching how Ron held Alexis carefully and sat down with him, smiling and making faces at him.

"So tomorrow night…" Ginny said. "What are the plans looking like?" She seemed hopeful. I had a feeling that she thought that she and Harry were going to have to drag us out to go to clubs instead of the other way around. Ha, we'd show them.

"Well I was going to make dinner and then we we'll go out for a movie." I watched as her face fell completely and she struggled to come out with the right words to say.

"Do they have any places to go dancing?" Ginny asked. "Maybe a salsa club?"

"We haven't checked." Ron said, joining in on the joke. "We aren't that into them at all."

"Well maybe we could help you find somewhere to go out and have fun?" Harry suggested. Ron and I looked at each other and then laughed. Cecilia and Alexis both smiled when they saw us laughing. "What?" Harry asked.

"You know, I'm kind of offended by the fact that you thought we wouldn't take you anywhere fun." Ron said.

"I know." I added. "Come on, give us some credit." They both looked relieved. I think mostly because they waned to make sure we weren't staying at home on weekends, with nothing to do.

"We have a few regular spots that we'll take you to." Ron said.

"And we'll meet…" Ginny forgot the names that we had told her.

"Trey and Sasha." I said. "You'll like them, they're cool people." Ginny smiled.

"I'd expect them to be since Sasha got you to go back to school, and to be a teacher." She said, smiling. They must have been really afraid that we'd be bored out of our minds without them or work.

"How's that going?" Harry asked.

"Amazing!" I answered. "And this way I'll never have to leave school because after I learn it all, I can teach it." Harry and Ginny laughed. It felt good to be talking like old times with them again.

"Do you understand them if the classes are in French?" Angelina asked. I explained to her about the language barrier spells in the classrooms.

"Otherwise, I'd be lost." I said, with a chuckle.

"And how do you get by at work with not knowing French?" Alicia asked Ron.

"I have my own personal translator." Ron answered. "But I'm learning French as I go along." Fleur quizzed Ron on the French words that he knew.

"How's the house?" I asked Fred and Angelina after the game ended.

"Wonderful!" Angelina answered.

"It's a really great place." Fred said. "In a couple of years we'll be filling up the spare bedrooms."

"How long are we waiting for more nieces and nephews?" Ron asked as he and I switched babies. Alexis was really getting big! He was much bigger than the last time I had held him. They were so cute…but they grew up so fast!

"We'll give it three years. When we're twenty-four." Fred answered. "We should be all settled in by then with our careers and Angelina will have finally gotten the house decorated." Angelina laughed and hit him lightly on the arm.

"We've already got names picked out for them." Angelina added.

"George and I are going to give it a year before we move into a house and then a year to get settled before we start." Alicia said.

"Then we'll have about a million kids." George said. I laughed.

"You weel not get anozzer one out of me." Fleur said. "Two eez plenty."

"But they're growing up so fast." Bill protested. "What happens when they go off to Hogwarts and the house is empty?" Fleur looked at her children with a sad face.

"Fine. Eight more zen!" She joked. We all laughed.

"We're going to work one baby at a time." Alison said. "We'll talk more after this baby has grown up a little." She patted her stomach.

"One at a time." Charlie agreed nodding. Alison winced and touched her stomach, but a second later her face was back to normal. I got the feeling that I was the only one to notice that.

"Harry and I are–" Ginny started.

"How about we get married first?" Harry asked. "Then in six or seven years we'll talk about kids." Ginny pouted but Harry gave her a kiss and they could both see that it was a joke. I felt like Ron and I should have participated in the conversation but we hadn't even discussed it ourselves so it wouldn't have been a good idea to fight about it now. I could see George turning, to ask us. I stood up, handed Alexis to Ginny and picked up the bag that I had packed.

"My feet are killing me. I think I'm going to change." I said, and for dramatic effect I made it look like I was limping. Ron followed me with his bag, making the excuse that he was uncomfortable. We both walked to our separate bathrooms. I headed into the stall, kicking off my heels before the door even closed. A few minutes later I exited the stall wearing a light purple ¾ sleeve top and a pair of jeans with my Ugg boots. Much more comfortable; I walked over to the mirror, noticing tired circles around my eyes. Mental note: don't fool around with your husband until 2 a.m. when you have to get up for a 7 a.m. class. Things like this should have been more apparent the night before.

I splashed water on my face and dried it off with a paper towel. Time to head back. Hopefully there will have been a subject change by now.

As Ron and I approached the waiting area I noticed Alison looking a little paler than usual. And by the way she uncomfortably held her stomach I figured that something had to be wrong. She finally spoke up.

"I'm going to go get a glass of water." She said. Upon standing, she fell back down in the chair. "Oh!" She exclaimed as her water broke. Everyone jumped up at once. Charlie started freaking out.

"We need a healer!" He shouted. "We need a healer! My wife's water broke! Her water broke! Oh my god, we're having a baby! Oh my god, we're having a baby!" He kept repeating everything twice and then fell into the chair.

"Sweetheart, we're having a baby." He said, meekly. "Two weeks early."

"I noticed, darling." Alison said, trying to keep the sarcasm from her voice. A healer rushed in with a wheelchair. Charlie stared at the ground in front of him, out of it. He kept repeating, "we're having a baby."

"Don't mean to interrupt you but your wife is having a baby!" Bill said to Charlie, as Alison was being pulled away in the wheelchair. Charlie vaguely nodded but didn't move. Bill, who had been through this before, pulled Charlie's arm and led him after his wife. Arthur went to go tell Molly and Fleur followed the wheelchair, telling Alison that she was going to be fine.

Ron, Harry, Ginny, Fred, Angelina, George, Alicia, and I were left, standing there stunned that all of this had happened, right in front of our eyes. It had happened so fast. Her water broke…and she was in labor…she was going to have a baby! Penelope was going to have a baby! This was sure as hell one great night!

"Two is a lucky number in this family!" Fred exclaimed as he and George high-fived.

For the next hour we paced and took turns holding Alexis and Cecilia. Molly and Arthur ran back and forth, past the waiting room to one room after the next. Occasionally Fleur would join them running to see that Penelope had a familiar woman by her side while she waited to deliver the baby. And then she ran back to Alison when Molly had come from seeing her. It was very confusing and an impatient wait.

At one point Molly ran from Alison's room, sobbing, and into Penelope's room, shouting something we couldn't hear. And five minutes later, Arthur ran from Alison's room to Penelope's room. Two minutes later and exhausted looking Fleur and Bill both came out of Alison's room and they picked up their children.

"Ze birth of a baby eez a beautiful zing." Fleur said, hugging her son as he slept on her shoulder.

"It is." Bill agreed with his sleeping daughter in his arms. George opened his mouth to question them but Charlie ran out of the room, practically jumping with joy.

"You have to see him! You have to see him!" He yelled, still repeating himself. "He's the most beautiful little thing. He's my son!" Everyone jumped up to hug and congratulate Charlie when Percy came running out of another door.

"I have a son!" Percy shouted. "Finally! I have a son!"

Everyone hugged, kissed, and congratulated the new fathers! We were told that we would be able to see the babies soon. Our nephews. Maxwell Andrew Weasley and Gregory Michael Weasley (that was after a lot of debate on Percy and Penelope's part. Originally it was supposed to be Dennis).

xxx

A little after visiting the tired mother's Ron and I went to go see the babies who were resting in the nursery. We followed the directions we were given and behind a large window were a bunch of sleeping babies.

"Look." Ron said, pointing to two sleeping babies. Each of them had Weasley written on a piece of paper in front of the crib they were sleeping in.

"They're so small and beautiful." I whispered. Ron reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. I turned to smile at him while he wrapped his arms around me. I rested my head against his shoulders while we just stood there, watching our nephews sleep. It was truly one of the most beautiful things in the world.

A little while later we were able to hold the babies. Alison cried, happily when I placed Max back in her arms.

"Look at him." She said, through tears. "That's my son." Charlie put a hand on her shoulder. He was smiling too. They were both so happy. I smiled as they both watched their son. Alison started humming to him.

Ron and I left the blissful parents to themselves and went to visit Percy and Penelope. Penelope was asleep when we walked in but Percy was wide-awake, holding his son and smiling down at the little boy.

"Look at him." He whispered. "I helped create this."

"He's beautiful Perce." Ron assured him. Percy nodded and smiled up at Ron and I.

"Want to hold him?" Percy asked. Ron and I nodded. Percy carefully handed Gregory to Ron.

"Hey, Greg." Ron said to the baby. "You know you've got two great parents? Yep, you have two of the best. And you have a huge family, so you'll never be alone. You've got three other cousins and lots of Aunts and Uncles. Me and your Aunt 'Mione will always be there for you even if we're in Paris. You can always count on us to be there when you're parents are driving you nuts." Ron had said something similar to Max. It was cute how he wanted to let the little infants know that even though we weren't here they could always count on us. Ron handed Gregory to me.

"Hey Greg." I said, taking the baby. "Uncle Ron is right. We're always here for you." I smiled at the baby who was starting to doze off. We heard crying and looked up to see an emotional Penelope, awake and crying.

"That was beautiful." Penelope sobbed. "You guys are a great Aunt and Uncle." Ron and I smiled, handing the sleeping baby off to its parents.

We found Harry and Ginny in the waiting room and since we were the only ones left except for Molly and Arthur, we decided to call it a night.

"You'll love what Harry's done to the place!" Ginny announced as she raced up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, where there would have been a landing was a door. Harry stuck the key in the lock and turned slowly while Ginny waited impatiently. "Tada!"

Ron and I looked in at the connecting flats. The walls that had separated them before were knocked down, making on large living area. The kitchen in my flat before was gone and the kitchen in their flat was larger. The living room space in our old flat was larger while it held other furniture and other decorations than we had. The four rooms were set up so that one was an office, one was a guest bedroom, one was Ginny and Harry's closet, and one was their bedroom. In the larger kitchen there was a dining area. It looked really nice although it did make me realize that this was no longer our home. This place had been our first, on our own. I bit my tongue, refraining from saying this out loud and turned to Ginny and Harry.

"It looks great." I said.

"Yeah." Ron agreed. I could tell that he felt the same way I did.

"I'm glad you like it." Ginny said. "Come on, we'll order something to eat and we can catch up."

xxx

I laid awake later on that night. I couldn't seem to fall asleep. I was thinking about Max and Greg, the fact that this room used to be mine, and the fact that I was excited to show Harry and Ginny around Paris tomorrow.

I slid out from under Ron's arm and pulled a sweatshirt on before tiptoeing out into the living room. I was going to sit down and watch TV but I kind of felt hungry so I tiptoed to the fridge in what used to be just Harry and Ginny's apartment. I had managed to deny the craving for pizza at dinner today and just have a salad but that pint of ice cream just seemed to be calling my name. I grabbed the pint of cookies and cream and a spoon before heading back to the couch. As I was flipping through the channels a door opened and I saw Ginny creeping out of her room (the same one as it's always been).

"Hey." Ginny whispered. She grabbed a spoon from the kitchen and came over to the couch with me. "What's wrong?" She asked, taking a seat on the couch and digging in.

"I've just been thinking." I said. Ginny nodded because her mouth was full of ice cream.

"So how's married life treating you?" She asked. We hadn't been able to have this conversation on the phone.

"Really amazing." I answered. I stuck my spoon in again and then handed off the pint to Ginny. Three bites total, not as good as zero but I didn't devour the whole pint. "It's ten times better than being in just a relationship. This is like…like…" I held up my ring finger and looked at it, trying to describe the commitment that Ron and I had. "Forever." I finally answered. "This makes it real, it's never ending. I'll be waking up to my best friend every morning, I'll care for him forever, and we'll start a family. It just makes everything real." Ginny smiled as she watched me describe my marriage to Ron.

"And how's life in Paris?" Ginny questioned. "What do you guys do there?"

"Well," I began. "Usually Ron has to get up to go to work by seven so I'm up to. When he's gone I feed Midnight and get ready for classes and make sure that the house is cleaned up. I come home, work on schoolwork, get dinner ready, we eat and then sit in the living room working on whatever we have to or just watch a movie or TV. We haven't had a chance to go out and eat yet but for Valentine's Day we probably will. On the weekends we go out with Sasha and Trey. It's actually a really great lifestyle." Ginny smiled.

"Does being married affect your sex life at all?" She asked in a near whisper. I tried not to laugh but a giggle came out. It felt like old times, talking with Ginny.

"Yep," I answered. "It's sooooooo much better." I said, exaggerating on the so. Ginny and I both laughed.

"Do you miss us at all?" Ginny asked when we had out laughter under control.

"Of course." I answered. "You guys are our best friends. We miss the whole family. It's just something that Ron and I need to do. You know, experience independence." Ginny nodded.

"I guess that's something that comes with marriage." She said. I nodded and took her left hand.

"Give it a couple months and you'll be feeling the same way." I said, taking a look at the big rock on her finger. Ginny smiled down at her hand and then back up at me.

"I missed you!" She exclaimed.

"I missed you too!" We both hugged before Ginny got off the couch and grabbed a DVD off of the entertainment center.

"I was saving this for us to watch together." She told me. She took out the DVD and tossed the case to me. It was _The Holiday_. I smiled at her.

"This looks like a movie that we HAVE to watch together!" I said. Ginny laughed and took her seat back on the couch with the DVD remote. She picked up the ice cream and handed me my spoon again. I couldn't help it…


	5. Visiting

**a/n: Hey again!! Thanks for the reviews!!! This chapter is really short because there wasn't much that I could do with this chapter and I didn't combinde it with the next one because I wanted that to be a serapate chapter. So I'll put them both up at once, just as different chapters.**

**If you review again, I'll put up seven because I finished up to ten!!!!**

**Always,  
****Kylie**

The next two days with Harry and Ginny were really great. After visiting Tonks, Lupin, and Penny (she's gotten so big! And she was so adorable!) on Saturday we stopped at the hospital to see Max, Greg and their mothers before heading back to Paris. Ginny and Harry liked our place although Harry and Midnight don't get along that well.

Midnight doesn't like water that much (I noticed when I gave her a bath) and Harry didn't know this when he accidentally spilt his glass of water and majority of the water landed on Midnight. Well, it ended up with Harry getting several scratches on his ankles and Ron having to pull Midnight off of him. Not a good way to make them want to come back.

It also turned out that as much as Sasha loved school, she was also a fan of shopping so when us three girls went shopping on Saturday afternoon she and Ginny bonded quickly.

Harry, Ron, and Trey bonded together as well when they were left on their own and Trey introduced Ron and Harry to videogames (That was not good. I promised Trey that I was going to kill him later). We almost didn't go out because Ron, Trey and Harry were so preoccupied with playing that stupid game. (Ron is interested in buying a Game Cube now. I'm not so sure it's gunna happen.)

We did end up getting Ron, Harry, and Trey off their video game playing asses and dressed to go out. We ended up having a great time. Ron had completely gotten over his fear of dancing in public so when we went out, he was the one pulling me out onto the dance floor. And it wasn't just salsa. We danced to slow songs and fast songs, different kinds of music. By the end of the night my feet were killing me but it was definitely worth it.

On Sunday, we all slept in late; even Ginny who woke up very cranky considering we didn't keep coffee in the house and she couldn't have her caffeine buzz. Her fiancé ran out to get her some coffee with the help of my husband to show him around our neighborhood.

Unfortunately I was the one stuck with cranky Ginny while they ran out to get some coffee. I began making breakfast while she fell asleep at the table. Midnight hung out in the kitchen with us. She actually liked Ginny considering that Ginny wasn't the one who dropped water on her.

Ron and Harry returned with the coffee as I was finished making breakfast. We all sat down in the dining room. Ginny was a bit perkier since she had her coffee. We spent the rest of the morning at the dining room table, talking and catching up.

Eventually Harry and Ginny had to head home because Ginny had to go back to Hogwarts. They promised that they would be back as soon as they could but as this was the real world (not the fantasy one we wished we lived in) we were all busy with work or school. It might be a while before we saw them again but on the bright side, it just made the time that we actually spent together much more meaningful.

"Bye!" Ginny said, squeezing me tightly.

"I'll miss you." I said. I squeezed back. We finally let go. I held in tears because it was kind of ridiculous to cry every time we did this. I couldn't deny that I would miss them though. I turned to hug Harry now. "You know if you need anything you can call us." I said as Harry and I hugged.

"I know." He said. I don't think he liked the goodbyes either.

"And don't worry about Midnight. She'll come around." I said. "It'll take some time for her to get used to you." Harry laughed.

"Yeah…sure." He said. I chuckled.

"We've got to go." Ginny said.

"Bye." Ron said. He put his arm around me and we waved until they were gone. "They'll be back." Ron assured me. "And we'll go visit them too."

"I know." I said, very close to tears. "It still sucks to say goodbye."

"Yeah." Ron agreed. He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. "It does." We turned and began walking back to our flat. We had classes to go to, work to do, and lives to lead.

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!!**


	6. Sick

**a/n: Review and I'll update!!!!**

Valentine's Day! It has recently become one of my favorite holidays. We had a reservation at a fancy restaurant, a pricey bottle of champagne, and I even had a great gift picked out. That was the plan at the beginning of the day. By the end…well I was too tired to remember all the details...

I got home from class and planned on working an essay but as I was overly tired (I'm wasn't quite sure why? I assumed it was from waking up early but who knew?) I was yawning and nodding off while working on the essay. Eventually I zonked out all together, only to be awoken by Ron calling and telling me that he was leaving the office to meet me. Considering that his office was closer to the restaurant than the apartment was, I should have already been on my way. There was no way that we were going to make our reservation so Ron headed home while I changed into the dress I had bought for the evening. We found a less fancy restaurant and had dinner, exchanged gifts and headed home. We were both in a good mood so there were high hopes for the end of the night.

"I'm sorry that we missed the reservation tonight." I apologized for what was probably like the millionth time. I felt really bad about it. "I don't know why but I was just really tired when I got home."

"'Mione, you apologized at least a billion times. It's no big deal. We aren't fancy restaurant kind of people. We're simple people who enjoy good food and good atmosphere, which is why I like _Franc's_ simple but still a nice place to eat your food." Ron said. He took my hand as we headed back towards our apartment.

"Is that where you go for those business lunches?" I asked, stifling a yawn.

"Yeah." Ron answered. "He's a good friend of Jacques. That's how Franc knows who I am. He's a cool guy." I smiled and moved closer to Ron. He put his arm around me. I rested my head against his shoulder as we walked. This time I couldn't stifle the yawn. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"Fine." I answered. "It's Valentine's Day and I have these beautiful earrings from you." I pointed to my ears where I wore the sparkling earrings he bought me.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "You've been a little out of it, these past few days."

"I think I've been overworking myself a little. This weekend we'll relax." I said, although I wasn't sure that that was what was wrong. Honestly I thought I was coming down with something but I didn't want to worry him.

"Good, I don't think we should go out. You're obviously coming down with something." Ron kissed the top of my head. Damn, he knew me too well.

"We'll see how I feel. If I'm still sick we'll stay home."

"Fair enough." Ron said as we approached the apartment. We walked up the stairs and with each step I took I could feel myself getting sleepier. I was determined to stay awake for Ron. "I'll pour us some champagne." Ron said, kissing me. "Have a seat on the couch." Ron went for the kitchen while I turned on some soft music and sat on the couch.

My eyelids fluttered shut as I leaned back but I forced them open. Twice more this happened. The fourth time I couldn't get them to open again. I was too tired to care to open them. Groggily they opened slightly, to see Ron lift me up but that was it. I closed them and let the sleepiness take over.

xxx

A week later I wasn't feeling any better. I had just gotten out of my last class and was rushing to the nearest bathroom. On top of being tired, I had a headache, my body was a little sore and at this moment I really had to pee.

I convinced Ron that I was fine because I didn't want him to worry that it had been over a week. I also didn't want him to make me go to the healer's (I hated healer's offices). If it did get worse, I'd make the appointment but for now I would just wait until it passed.

I still had to go home and pack my things before I headed back to London later today. This was the first time that I would be visiting R and H Books since I moved as well as the first time Ron and I would be spending the night apart since we got married. I was going to hang out with Harry tonight and then tomorrow I would be going to see the bookshop and the Gazette.

After exiting the stall I washed my hands and then threw my bag over my shoulder, ready to head home and pack.

I was excited to go and see Harry. We didn't get to hang out one on one when he came up so this was going to be fun, just the two of us. He said he already had _Stay Alive_ picked out for us to watch. I wasn't too sure on the movie based on the title but I'd get over it.

Normally when you turn on our street you can start to smell the flowers from the flower shop under us but today I wasn't even on our street when I started to smell it. The closer I got, the more nauseous I got. By the time I got in the door I was hurrying up the stairs because any minute I was about to be sick. Normally I just wrinkled my nose at the smell but today it was even worse. Come to think of it, it has been giving me a headache these past few days. It didn't make sense though, that I was vomiting. It just helped me make the decision that I was actually sick.

When I reached the top stair, I threw my school bag and purse down before running to the bathroom and vomiting…and vomiting…and vomiting. I couldn't smell the flowers anymore but that only triggered it.

Shakily, I stood up and washed my face. Then I brushed my teeth twice so Ron didn't notice. I didn't want him to think I shouldn't go. For assurance I brushed them again and then went to go change and pack.

A while later I had changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater; my bags were packed and sitting by the door. I was sitting in front of the television, watching season ten of _Friends_. I was at the point where I was nearly falling asleep and the Thanksgiving episode was starting when Ron came home.

"Hey hon." Ron said. He fell onto the couch next to me and turned to give me a kiss.

"Are you sure you and Midnight are going to be ok?" I asked as I took Ron's hand.

"We'll be fine." Ron assured me. "Just go see the bookshop, visit Harry and tomorrow you'll be back." He smiled at me. "We'll be fine for the night."

"All right." I smiled and kissed him, knowing that he was only pretending to be fine. Alone in the house with nothing to do…he would miss me.

"And 'Mione, I wanted to ask you, before you go." I turned to look at him because he sounded serious. "Are you sure you're feeling better?" He asked.

"Ron I told you I'm fine." I said although I wasn't. Ron narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

"Just take it easy." Ron said.

"Ronald, I'm fine." I said. "If I weren't really fine. You'd know." OK, well if I was _that_ sick he'd know. I'll be over this by tomorrow morning.

"Ok." Ron said. I looked at the time on the television.

"I better get going." I said. "I don't want to miss the Portkey."

"Have fun. If you get a chance, stop at the Gazette and see how things are holding up." He said as we walked to the front door.

"I will." I assured him. "The fridge is full and you know where Midnight's food is." We stopped at the door where he helped me get my coat on. "Are you sure you're going to be fi–" Ron cut me off with a kiss.

"We'll be fine." He picked up Midnight who had followed us to the door.

"What are you two going to do?" I asked, petting Midnight.

"Kick back with a case of butterbeer and watch _Anchorman_." Ron said. I laughed.

"I'm sorry I'm going to miss it." I said.

"Don't be." Ron smiled. "It's one of those movies that are funny in a wrong way."

"But that is one of the best wrongly funny movies." I admitted.

"Yeah it is." Ron agreed. I laughed and leaned over to kiss Ron. He let Midnight down and wrapped his arms around me. It was tempting to not leave but after one final kiss I left the apartment, ready to hang out with Harry.

A little while later I was headed up the stairs to Harry and Ginny's flat, quickly. I could smell the scent of pizza coming from the apartment and I hated to admit it but it smelt really good. Harry met me at the door.

"Hi. Here." I shoved my bag into his arms and ran for the bathroom. A few minutes later I exited the bathroom feeling so much better. I made a mental note to not drink as much water because no matter what, it just ran through me. "Sorry." I apologized.

"That's all right." Harry said. "If you've gotta go, you've gotta go." I laughed and went to hug him.

"Is that pizza?" I asked, the smell was stronger but it smelt so good.

"Yeah, but don't worry. I ordered a salad for you." Harry answered.

"Oh." I was a little disappointed. The pizza smelt so much better.

We sat down at the table where Harry and I caught up about what went on in the time since we've seen each other. (I even decided that one piece of pizza wouldn't be so bad…but then I had another.)

Harry told me about practice and hanging out with Neville, Fred, Angelina, Alicia, and George. I told him about school and what Ron and I did in our free time. Reluctantly he even listened to me talk about Midnight.

"So Parkinson and Malfoy really did move to Paris?" Harry asked. The subject came up while we were setting up for the movie.

"Yep. And they have a baby girl." I said. "I think Malfoy's mum said her name was Ella."

"Wow." Harry said.

"Yeah, I kind of feel sorry for Pansy. You should have seen how Narcissa Malfoy treated her."

"'Mione, you feel sorry for Pansy Parkinson? Do you recall slapping her?"

"Maybe." I said, falling into the oversized chair and curling up with a blanket. Harry lay down on the couch with a bag of chips. He hit play on the movie. "I just think that we've outgrown that stage and when we talked we were pleasant to each other." I muttered. I could hear Harry covering up laughter and I rolled my eyes. Some of us never outgrew certain things.

As the movie began, I started to smell whatever kind of chips Harry was eating. It was nauseating.

"What kind of chips are you eating?" I asked.

"Salt and vinegar. Want some?" Harry held out the bag of chips and I got a nose full. I covered my nose with the blanket,

"Ew, no get rid of those before I throw up!" I said. I knew that if I got another whiff of those I was definitely going to throw up.

"Oh, relax Drama Queen." Harry said. "I'm almost done." He lifted up the bag and poured the remaining crumbs into his mouth.

"That is seriously appalling." I said. I covered my eyes as well. _Breath, clean breaths. No awful smell._ As Harry threw the bag of chips away I began to loose the nauseous feeling, knowing that I was definitely going to have to make a healer's appointment when I got home.

"Oh, watch this is a cool part." Harry said. I squeezed my eyes shut again.

"Liar!"

I watched enough of the movie to see that I never wanted to watch another horror movie in my life. The last straw was when they figured out that the game played it's self and October was murdered by the ghost woman. I couldn't watch any more.

"Good night." I said, standing up before the movie was over. Harry laughed.

"You don't want to see how it ends?" Harry asked.

"No way!" I turned to walk to the guest bedroom. "Night, horror movie-watching-weirdo." Harry laughed. I shut the door behind me and changed into my pajamas. I lay down own the bed and tried to fall asleep but I was haunted by the face of the ghost woman in the movie. Shakily I picked up my cell phone and dialed Ron's number as I pulled the covers over my head. I felt silly but I couldn't help it.

"Hello?" A tired voice said. I had forgotten that Paris is an hour ahead and it was one there.

"Ron!" I said into the phone.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked, noticing my tone.

"Nothing. I just needed to hear your voice." I said.

"And the scary movie had nothing to do with it?"

"Maybe a little."

"I'm here until you fall asleep. Which shouldn't be long. You're usually out within ten seconds."

"Ha, ha." I laughed and yawned at the same time. "Love you." I whispered as I settled my head comfortably on the phone.

"I love you too." Ron said back, and that was the last thing I heard before I drifted off to sleep.

xxx

I woke up the next morning feeling a little better. I wasn't vomiting and I felt rested. See, I knew it would pass. Now I wouldn't have to make a healer's appointment. I showered, dressed in a pair of jeans with a black off the shoulder top and my black pumps. Harry was in the kitchen devouring a donut for breakfast.

"How was the rest of the movie?" I joked.

"You wouldn't of liked it." He assured me.

"Figures." I shrugged and sat down, picking up a donut from the box, giving in to sugary temptation.

My first stop of the day was R and H Books. I walked through the door and as soon as I did, I heard, "We don't open until nine." Anthony was standing at the front desk, writing in a notepad.

"Should I come back?" I joked while Anthony looked up.

"Hi!" Anthony exclaimed, abandoning his writing and coming over to day hello. His face was turning red from embarrassment. I laughed. "How's Paris? How are you? How's Ron? What are you doing over there without this place?"

I took the all of the questions in but only one stood out to brag about. "I'm going to school to become a teacher!" I exclaimed happily. Anthony smiled.

"That seems perfect for you. Does that mean we have to start calling you Professor Weasley around here?" I laughed.

"No, of course not." I said. "Well not yet, at least. It'll be a year or three before I'm an actual teacher. After that, then you can call me Professor Weasley." We both laughed and Ellen, after hearing us, came out.

"What is–" She stopped when she saw me. "Hermione!" She exclaimed. She ran over and gave me a hug. "How are you? How's Paris? How's your husband?" Ellen repeated questions similar to Anthony's. We all took a seat while I filled Anthony and Ellen on Paris life. They commented on how great it all sounds.

"Yeah, we love it." I said, smiling.

Next, Anthony and Ellen filled me in on what was going on with the shop. We went over sales records and what books have just come out that needed to be ordered…basically everything that's been going on since I've been in Paris.

"So it looks like you have everything under control here. I guess this is it until March." I didn't really want to leave but I had to because there was so much to do. I was determined not to cry although it was kind of sad that I wouldn't be back here, to one of my favorite places, for another month.

We heard a chime from the front door, indicating that someone was coming in.

"Hello!" Tonks called. A small shriek let us know that Penny was here as well. Tonks and Penny!

"Guess who's here!" Ellen said. Tonks joined us and smiled when she saw me.

"Hermione!" She exclaimed, leaving Penny's stroller to the side and opening her arms to give me a hug.

"Hi!" I said, getting emotional all over again; it had been almost three weeks since I last saw her. Penny sat in her stroller, reaching her arms up, for someone to lift her. I reached down and lifted her up. "Aw, she's so adorable!" Penny's face was round with a giant smile plastered on it. Her eyes sparkled a violet color and her hair was growing in a nice light brown, which happened to be the same color as Lupin's.

"She is the cutest thing." Tonks said, poking her daughter in the belly so she giggled. It was absolutely the most adorable sound. "Harry told me that you were coming up today so Penny and I, thought that we would come in early to say 'hi'." Tonks looked different too. Her usual long shocking pink locks were now dark brown with thin shocking pink streaks in it. She had a warm smile with friendly eyes, the same color as Penny's. Her figure had returned from having a baby and she was dressed in a pair of jeans with a white top and comfortable flats.

While Ellen and Anthony got ready to open up the bookshop Tonks and I chatted and caught up on what was going on in our lives.

"He loves her so much." Tonks said, speaking of Lupin and Penny. "It's adorable how they are together." I smiled as I listened to Tonks speak, with passion about her child. It was really something to see how she made the transition from fun loving Tonks to motherly Tonks.

Eventually our discussion had to end because I had a few more stops to make. I stood up and gave Tonks a hug before kissing Penny on the forehead and handing her off to her mother.

"You know, Hermione." Tonks started. "Something about you looks different. Like you're glowing. I think this move was a really good thing for the two of you." I smiled, glad for a comment like that from someone who cared. It felt nice to know that someone did support the move and could verbally express it.

I headed down the street of Hogsmede in the direction of the _Magical Gazette_. (That would be the Gazette office in England since there was now one in Paris.) As I approached the building, I opened the front door and quickly got out of the cold. I could see Susan conversing with someone through the office intercom. I took my coat off and hung that and my scarf up before taking a seat in front of Susan's desk. Wow, that walk had tired me out a bit.

"We'll talk when we get home!" Susan shouted to whomever she was speaking to in another room. I assumed it was Zacharis and they were in a fight, but that was none of my business.

"Well, look who it is!" Susan said with a smile. "It's Mrs. Weasley back from Paris!" I smiled while she asked me the same series of questions Ellen and Anthony had. I answered them in the same manner, emphasizing on the fact that I was going back to school to become a teacher.

After chatting with Susan, I went and talked with Zacharis and Ernie to get all of the information Ron asked me to get. I stopped in to say hello to everyone and then took a seat in front of Neville's desk to catch up with him. Neville asked me the same questions that everyone else had but he had news as well.

"Remember how I was working on powering things like TV's, computers and cell phones, and other things like that by magic?" Neville asked.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Did you get it to work?" I asked excitedly. "Are we going to have Wizard TV shows and the World Wide Wand?"

"Well I sold the idea. I finally got it to work and then sold it!" Neville shouted loudly. He brandished an article for me that looked as if it were from today's front page.

"Neville, that's amazing!"

"It is! We're throwing a huge party a week from Saturday to celebrate. Luna's planned the whole thing. We sent an invitation so you'll get all of the information then."

"Neville, that's great. Of course Ron and I will be there!"

Neville told me more about "The World Wide Wand", all about how his name would be on the idea and how he was making all of this money off of it. It really was an amazing thing going on for them. "All that's left is for us to have a couple of kids, move to the suburbs and then we'll be the happiest people alive." Neville informed me. I smiled. I was happy for Neville and Luna. No matter what those two would be the happiest couple ever. No question about it.

Next, I stopped at Hogwarts where I planned on visiting McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Ginny. I told Dumbledore and McGonagall about going back to school and then caught up with Ginny quickly.

Finally, after stopping for dinner with Harry I got my things and headed home, exhausted. Prepared for it this time, I tried not to breath in the flowery smell as I made my way up to the apartment. After closing the door I breathed in fresh, clean air…or what I thought was fresh clean air. I actually breathed in the stench of those same damn chips Harry was eating yesterday, somewhat burnt popcorn, and something else that I couldn't quite place, but it made me just as nauseous. I dropped my things and ran to the bathroom, while I heard Ron call my name.

I slammed the door and kneeled on the floor, emptying the contents of what I ate for the entire day. Ron was on the other side of the bathroom door, calling my name. I couldn't really respond until I uneasily stood up and splashed water on my face.

"I'll be out in a sec." I said, taking my toothbrush from the holder.

"Are you ok?" Ron asked.

'Illbe outina minute." I said, with a mouth full of toothpaste. I tried to think of anything but being sick. "Get rid of whatever chips smell in that living room especially since they're forbidden in this house!" I said, after spitting into the sink. I wouldn't mention how I had had Pizza and a donut. Right now I was pissed that I threw up again because that meant that I was sick and hadn't gotten over it.

"Yeah, but–" Ron started.

"Smelly stuff!" I exclaimed.

"Right!"

I finished brushing my teeth as I heard Ron outside the door.

"All gone." He said. I opened the bathroom door, knowing that my face looked very pale. All I wanted now was a shower and to go to sleep. "Hermione–" Ron started.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." I said. Although, I knew I wasn't. I knew that something was off.

I walked into the living room noticing a mess. Also something that stood out was the fact that we had a brand new Game Cube system sitting on the floor, the box and papers were all over the floor along with some games. I turned on Ron.

"You bought a video game?" I asked. "And left the papers all over the floor?" I began picking the papers up.

"Hermione, don't change the subject." Ron said.

"What subject?" I asked innocently. Ron gave me a look. "Fine, I'll make a healer's appointment." I said. "As long as you clean this mess up." I tiredly, gave up cleaning.

"Deal." Ron said. He began picking things up while I fell back on the couch. I knew what was wrong. It all added up to one thing. I shook my head and drove the thought out of my head.

It couldn't be that…could it?

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	7. Six Weeks

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**Always,  
****Kylie**

My hands shook as I waited on the timer. I picked it up to make sure it was still moving. This was sure as hell taking a long time. I put the timer back down and began to pace. Then I started to get a little nauseous so I sat on the edge of the tub.

I was focusing on taking deep breaths to calm my nerves so when the timer went off it scared me so much I nearly fell into the tub. Carefully I picked the test up. I couldn't bring myself to look at it. I knew what the answer would be and I knew that this was going to change my life forever. But it could be wrong though, couldn't it? Just because I was nauseous all the time, tired, sore, and over a month late, didn't mean anything…right?

I forced my eyes down at the test, the muggle Pregnancy Test that told me I was indeed pregnant. There was a tiny little person growing inside of me, less than eight months from now I was going to be a mother, I was going to have a child. This was all too much. I fell back on the edge of the tub again and tried to keep my breathing steady.

This was OK. I mean, forget the fact that I was nineteen years old and Ron was turning nineteen next week. Forget the fact that I was trying to go back to school for a career and Ron…well Ron had purchased a video game system yesterday for Pete's sake! Who was I kidding? This was going to be a disaster at this time in our lives. We weren't responsible enough to take care of another life when we were just learning to be responsible for ourselves.

There was no way this could work out, but yet I was pregnant and this huge bomb was dropped on us. I didn't know what else to do so I started to cry. This could not be happening. Not now. We haven't even been married for two whole months yet.

After another minute of realizing why this couldn't be happening, I stood up and washed my face off. Crying was not practical. It wouldn't help me solve this. I went into the bedroom, changed out of the clothes I wore to school and into a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. I grabbed a notebook out of the desk and sat, curled up on the couch with Midnight at my side.

I began writing things down. Anything that came to mind about what we could do. First I began by figuring out how we would handle this financially, next I tried to figure out how we could do this and stay where we were in Paris with no parents here to help us, and then I threw the notebook down, crying out in frustration.

This had to be a mistake! It had to be. I jumped up from the couch and pulled my coat on. I didn't bother changing because I was determined to prove this wrong.

A half hour and ten tests later I had not proven anything wrong and had eaten my way through a half a pint of Mint Chocolate Chip. I was no longer thinking of the mechanics of two just barely adults raising a baby. Now, I was thinking about telling the man whose baby I was carrying. He was going to want to come home, give me a kiss, ask how my "healer's appointment" went and then start playing _Need For Speed_ or some stupid game like that while I made dinner. And I had to tell him that we were having a baby.

I couldn't quite picture it. I guess we could be sitting in the dining room eating like always. "Hon, could you pass the salad?" He'd ask. "Sure." I'd respond. "By the way, I should also mention that we're going to have a baby. Just thought you'd want to know."

No, that wouldn't be the best way to break it to him. I sighed heavily and placed the ice cream down on the table. As I did that, the blanket slipped a little and in trying to rescue it from falling to the ground, my hand landed on my stomach.

I knew before. Eleven times, eleven different tests told me that I was pregnant but it really felt real now. I wasn't showing yet, nor would the baby be remotely big enough to feel in there but yet it felt real now. I could see myself, months from now with Ron talking to my stomach like Charlie did to Alison. I could see him running out to the waiting room to tell everyone that I had given birth, and it was beautiful like Bill did, Ron holding our child, looking at it with love and pride like Percy, and also me telling everyone how much Ron loves our baby and how adorable they are together like Tonks does about Lupin and Penny.

I smiled. For a second I didn't think about the complicated aspect of it, just the wonderful part that would come out of it. When the second ended, I came back to the harsh reality of the fact that neither of us was capable of raising a baby. Frustrated, I hid the notebook so Ron wouldn't find it before I could tell him…although… No! It had to come from me. And then I lay back down on the couch to watch _The Object of My Affection_. It seemed only fitting that I watch something where someone was going through the same thing I was…well almost the same thing. (Jennifer Aniston's character was pregnant too.)

Sometime later, I was startled awake by Ron's cheerful voice as he came through the door. My mind immediately raced back to the pressing matter I hadn't solved before.

"Hey sweetie." I said, tiredly as he came into the living room and kissed my forehead. My hands wrapped around my stomach in fear that he would figure it out by just looking at me.

"Hello love." He said. "How did your healer's appointment go today?" Here was my chance. I could tell him that I didn't go to the Doctor's because last night I had figured it out and took eleven pregnancy tests today to confirm it.

"Oh, she just said I had a bug and gave me some medicine. She also told me to take it easy." Wasn't there some philosophy about liars never going anywhere in life…or perhaps liars ending up young and knocked up. I couldn't quite remember.

"See, I knew it would be nothing. All you needed was something for it and you'll be as good as new." Ron headed into the office to deposit his briefcase. "Mind if I play video games?" He asked. I nodded vaguely and stood up.

"Yeah, I guess I'll go make dinner." I said. Things were too predictable. Here I thought moving to Paris would change that but no. _Maybe this baby will,_ I thought but immediate regretted it because I didn't want to be pregnant.

"Love you." Ron said, planting a kiss on my lips and taking a seat on the couch with a controller. I nodded and hurried to the kitchen where my first instinct was to take the (most likely stale) champagne out of the fridge and start drinking to clear my head but a thought occurred to me. You can't drink if you're pregnant and there was some sort of list of things that you couldn't eat or things you couldn't do. Just as much as I had no idea how to be a mother, I had no idea how to be pregnant either.

Upset and on the verge of crying again, I sat down at the kitchen table composing a letter to this maternity healer's office in London to set up an appointment. In the background I could hear Ron shouting at the television. I'd have to figure out a way to break it to him somehow. Now was not going to be the best time.

I tried to tell him Saturday but the words wouldn't come out. I even tried considered telling Sasha to talk to her about it but I couldn't do that either. Something about speaking the words out loud made me nervous.

Sunday, I hadn't even bothered trying. I received a letter back from the healer's office, confirming my appointment for Friday (the earliest they could do and a little inconvenient since Neville and Luna's party was the next day and Ron's birthday the day after that) and figured that I would tell him after I knew more.

There was no way I was going to make class in Paris on Friday and make my appointment in London so I planned on stopping at the University after I got back from my appointment to pick up missed assignments. I wore a black skirt and a black top and pulled half of my hair back. When Ron was gone, I was still staring at myself in the mirror. My stomach was as flat as it always was. I began doubting those tests I took, actually believing that this wasn't true. There was no way possible. This was the reason I hadn't told anyone. Why upset everything, only to find out that I wasn't pregnant? There was a possibility that this could not be true, actually I was sure it couldn't be true.

I took the Chunnel to London because I was afraid to take a Portkey, unsure of whether you were supposed to do that if you were…pregnant…assuming that the tests were right and I actually was. In London, I went directly to the doctor's office, hoping to hear exactly what I had convinced myself was true.

"Mrs. Weasley, the Healer will see you now." A friendly receptionist said. I had waited almost two hours, filled out a ton of paperwork, briefly opened up a _Motherhood_ magazine, and fell asleep twice.

"Thanks." I swung my bag, over my shoulder and walked around the chairs filled with women who looked about ready to give birth any second and women who were just barely pregnant and even some women with babies. There was no way that I could be one of them. I was nineteen years old and not ready for this.

Slowly I followed the receptionist into a white room, that didn't look like a pleasant place with the diagrams of growing babies and female reproductive organs on the walls.

"There's a gown on the table. Healer Statham will be in soon." The receptionist flashed me a smile and turned to leave.

I nodded, slowly and winced when the door made a foreboding slamming sound as it shut. I felt a wave of nervous nausea coming over me and to my left I spotted a bathroom.

There was no question about it now. As I changed out of my clothes and into a gown I thought about how much this was going to change our lives. We were bringing a child into this world whether we were ready or not.

"Hermione?" There was a knock on the door.

"I'm ready." I said, shakily pulling myself to a sitting position in the odd chair with places for your legs to go. Healer Statham entered the room with a warm smile.

"Hi, I'm Healer Statham." She said.

"Hi." I said, trying to imitate her happy smile.

"So, today we're going to do some routine checkups. Just some things to make sure that you and the baby are healthy, and then we'll talk."

"Ok." I nodded meekly.

"Will your husband be joining us?" Healer Statham asked.

"No. He had to work." It technically wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either.

I hated doctor's appointments A LOT. There were A LOT of questions, A LOT of invasion and your doctor got to know you a little too well…

"I'll be right back." She said. "You can change back into your clothes and then we'll talk."

Ten minutes later I was sitting in an even smaller room, feeling a little claustrophobic. Healer Statham sat behind her desk writing something on a piece of paper.

So far we had discovered that the baby was conceived six weeks ago (look where stupid spontaneity had gotten me now) and my approximated due date was October 26th.

"Wow." I said, as she told me my due date.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"It's just that, that's a little over a month after my birthday. I'll be twenty." Healer Statham put down her pencil and took off her glasses, giving me a sympathetic look.

"Hermione, there are other options."

"No." I shook my head. "I am married, even if I wasn't I would find a way to fit a child into my life."

"And how does your husband feel about this?" When I didn't respond Healer Statham took the hint. "When are you planning on telling him?"

"Soon." I said. "I wanted to know more before I told him." Healer Statham nodded in understanding.

We talked more. She gave me a list of things I should and should not do, she gave me these vitamins I should be taking, books I should read and also told me to bring Ron back for my next appointment.

On my way home, I felt like crying but I couldn't. My eyes were probably dried up from all of the crying I had done. There was nothing left to do but figure out a way for this all to work even with the complications that we had.

I stopped at the University before I planned on going home and curling up underneath my covers. _And sleeping,_ I thought as I yawned.

On my way out I stopped in the bathroom to pee quickly. (I'd been holding it since one of my professors started to lecture me on making it to class.) Stopping at the University was a mistake. A new worry seized me when I walked into the classes I had missed. How was I supposed to raise a baby and go to school at the same time? Yet another complication in the whole "I'm having a baby!" surprise.

I was in the process of drying my hands when the bathroom door flew open and an angry Pansy stormed in. She was carrying her baby and a pricey designer diaper bag. When the bathroom door slammed shut Pansy flipped the lock and rested her back against the door while her baby stirred in her arms. It scared me a bit.

Pansy took notice of the fact that I was in the room. "Sorry." She apologized although it wasn't very friendly. "Narcissa will not leave me alone!" I still didn't know what I should say or do so I threw the paper towel out and picked up my stuff.

"That's alright." I said, smiling and hoping that she would move away from the door.

"You wouldn't believe her!" She said, obviously outraged. She wasn't quite speaking to me; mostly she was ranting about her mother-in-law out loud. "This woman is the most horrid woman in the world! First we go to tell her that we're going to have a baby and what does she do? She throws me out of her house and calls me a whore!" I raised my eyebrows as Pansy continued. "Draco gets her to calm down and she forces us to hide it. Our graduation gift from her was also our wedding gift." She said, spitefully. She moved away from the door and dropped the diaper bag to the ground. I still didn't move because she wasn't done speaking yet. "We get back from the honeymoon to find that the apartment we rented before we found out was gone and we were going to be living in Paris now. To keep it hidden! That vile woman wanted us to lay low for a year pr two and then go back to England like we'd just had Ella or something. She doesn't want to look bad in front her friends because while we were in school a stupid slut seduced her son!" She sighed loudly. "And now every second of the day she's constantly up my ass, telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing for Ella. I had to get out of the house somehow but yet she follows me here!" Pansy had finally stopped speaking. I guess I was supposed to say something here.

"Just tell her that you don't need her." I suggested. It was lame but it was all I could think of.

Pansy laughed and Ella smiled when she heard her mother laugh. "Believe me, I've tried." She lifted up her daughter and hugged her to her chest. "Take it from me Granger, give it a couple of years before you have kids and when you do, don't let your mother-in-law or even your mother tell you what to do." I tried to laugh but all that did was make me want to cry again. (So much for dried out eyes.) I turned my head so Pansy wouldn't see.

"Yeah. Thanks for the advice." I said, trying to keep my voice steady. It didn't work too well.

"Or, don't wait." Pansy said, sounding a little embarrassed. I could feel her eyes on me.

"I'm six weeks pregnant." I admitted. Strangely I felt a little burden lift from my shoulders. Sure, it wasn't Ron who I told but it was a start.

Pansy picked up the diaper bag once again. She looked at me and for a brief second I could see a flicker of compassion in her eyes. "Don't give up teaching because of it Granger, there are ways around it." She said as she began to unlock the door. It wasn't friendly but it wasn't hateful either.

"Don't let Narcissa Malfoy control your life, Parkinson. There are ways around her." I said, because it felt like it was the right thing to say. Pansy nodded and left the bathroom while I turned to the sink and splashed water on my face. I did feel somewhat better.

This time when I got home I went straight for the office and took the notebook from last Friday. I moved some things around, made some notes on the margins, and added the information that the healer gave me. What all of this resulted in was a nine-month baby preparation plan, more books we had to buy, and people we needed to tell.

Number one on my list: Ron

**OMG, IT HAPPENED!!! I did pick A because a lot of you (most of you) chose that and also because I felt it was right. REVIEW IF YOU WANT ME TO UPDATE ON SUNDAY!!!**


	8. Are We Going To Talk About This?

**a/n: You guys reviewed so I decided to update early...****and also because I wanted to hear your reactions when you found out Ron's reaction... please review!!!!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

When I awoke the next morning I could hear the shower on. I had fallen asleep before Ron got home last night so I hadn't even gotten the chance to tell him. Knowing what I had to do, I got up from my bed and pushed the covers off of me.

"Ron." I said, as I opened up the bathroom door.

"Well, if it isn't my Sleeping Beauty." Ron said, cheerfully. His voice was muffled somewhat by the water in the shower. "Are you sure that medicine's working?" I instinctively opened my mouth to lie again and tell Ron that it was supposed to make me tired, but that wasn't why I came in here. Ron needed to know. I'd kept it from him for a week.

"Ron." I repeated as I pulled the shower curtain open.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked. The water poured over him while he stared at me with concern in his eyes.

"I love you." I said. Ron's expression turned to one of immediate concern as my eyes started to well up with tears.

"I love you too." He said.

"More than anything." I continued. "I…I… Ron I'm…" Tears started to fall as Ron stepped out of the shower and pulled a towel around his waist. He put his hand on my shoulders.

"Are you sick? Are you hurt? Is it bad? Hermione, what's going on?"

"I'm pregnant." I finally admitted. Tears continued to fall while Ron's face went blank. He turned a little pale and I had no idea what came next. He stood there for a minute, dripping wet, frozen in shock. I walked around him and shut the water off. He turned to face me.

"You're…" He couldn't say the word. I didn't blame him. The first time I said it out loud was a week after I found out. I nodded and looked down.

"Remember about six weeks ago when you came home and found the candles and the movie?" I asked. I looked for a response but Ron's face was frozen in a shocked and somewhat terrified expression. "Well that night we fooled around a lot and I don't think we were as careful as we thought because…well because there's a baby growing inside me as we speak."

I got nothing out of him, except his gaze shifting from my face to my belly. I had stopped crying and bit my lip so I wouldn't anymore. For a minute we stood there in silence. I could hear Midnight outside of the door but she wouldn't come in. She avoided the bathroom where water sprang from more than one faucet.

"When you're ready to talk I'll be in the kitchen." I said, calmly. I grabbed a t-shirt from the bedroom before heading to the kitchen and began making myself a cup of decaffeinated tea. I pulled all of the books and notes from their spot hidden in the office, laying them out on the table. And then I poured food in Midnight's dish before sitting down with my tea and staring off into space.

Ron joined me in the kitchen a few minutes later. He had on a pair of jeans with a t-shirt put on backwards. I stared at him, waiting for a reaction. Still nothing. I got up to pour him a cup of tea.

"Are we going to talk about this?" I asked. "We can try to deny this as much as we want but it doesn't change the fact that in seven and a half months we'll be parents." Ron looked at my face this time, in my eyes. I could see how confused he was and I felt bad for being a little harsh when I had a week to get over my shock and he hadn't even had an hour. Just when I was about to apologize Ron wrapped his arms around me. He buried his head in my shoulder and for a second I wondered if he was crying. That scared me more than anything.

He released the embrace after several moments and turned away from me before sitting down at the table. I brought him his cup of tea and sat down next to him at the table. He wouldn't look at me but I could see his red eyes.

"I–" Ron began but stopped. He started twice more like that but gave up.

"I'll talk." I said, placing a hand on his. He nodded at the table, avoiding the books where a pregnant woman sat, rocking back and forth in a rocking chair. "I haven't been sick like we thought I was." I started. "Up until last Thursday, I thought I was and was going to make an appointment to get it checked out. That is until I woke up on Friday, immediately rushing to the bathroom and spending the next half hour with my head stuck in the toilet bowl." I paused and took a breath.

"When I got home from class I took a test and found out that I wasn't sick like Flu sick. I was sick like Morning Sickness sick. I took ten more tests to be sure and all eleven tests came out positive.

"Yesterday, I saw a Healer in London and as well as confirming for the twelfth time that I was pregnant she gave me all of this information." I gestured to the books and papers that surrounded us. "Now, with the steady income from the bookshop, the England Gazette and the France Gazette we'll be financially capable of raising a baby and possibly even moving into a bigger place where we pay rent and utilities. It might be a little tight if we do that.

"And as for being physically capable of raising a baby…I don't know. We're barely adults. We haven't had time to experience the joy of being newlyweds and the struggles of learning to be married. We haven't had time to truly grow up enough to care for another life. But… but we'll find a way around that." The last statement held more confidence than I felt.

I finished speaking and looked over at Ron whose gaze was focused on the table. I was a little bit afraid that he was never going to say anything. I stood and refilled my cup of tea (he hadn't touched his). If he didn't speak soon I was going to have to run to the bathroom to pee every five minutes.

"Damn." He finally said. He cursed again but louder. He cursed again, using a more colorful word that expressed his anger. He finally shouted it and I scooted back in my chair a little bit. "Hermione, you're nineteen years old. I'll be nineteen tomorrow. We can't have a baby." He said bluntly. Tears welled up in my eyes again. "No!" He said again, more sternly. "We can't."

"It's not like we can choose this Ron." I said. "It's not like I asked for this to happen. I didn't ask for this to happen to us and change everything that we have and haven't yet to experience." I looked at him but he still would not look at me. "The fact of the matter is that we are having a baby."

"But…we can't." Ron said. His tone was defeated and he finally looked at me. "You – you're going to become a teacher." He said. "And there's so much that I have to do at the Gazette that it keeps me at the office until six o'clock every night. What about when we have to take trips to the next Gazette location?" Ron asked. "How are we supposed to bring a baby with us? What about the fact that we gave up a house with that spare bedroom for a baby, to move here to Paris? It's not the most practical place to raise a child. Especially since our family is in another country." He took a deep breath. "What about everything that this baby is going to prevent us from doing?"

"I've thought about that all." I said. It seemed silly for me to pull out a piece of paper with the information I wrote down so I tried to remember it. "We'll raise him or her here in Paris because this is where we're happy right now. I'll go to school until June and then I won't go back right away. I'll take time off and then go back next January. We can find some sort of day care. You can work. Nothing will change that and I'm not asking you to change that." I tried to maintain steady breathing.

"We'll work it out." I said. "The traveling. Figuring out how the hell we're supposed to do this. Ron, as long as you're willing to take a chance and do this with me I know that no matter what everything can be ok."

"How can you be so positive about this?" He asked, finally taking a sip of his cold tea. He grimaced.

"I don't know." I admitted. "But being positive is the only thing that's keeping me from breaking down and crying right now." Ron looked down at the table Just when I thought we were back to square one, he looked up at me and my heart almost broke. He had actual tears coming out of his eyes.

"You're not the one who's supposed to be strong and brave for me." He said. "I'm supposed to be telling you it's all right." I looked at him expectantly as tears formed in my own eyes. "It'll be all right." He said. "I promise." I reached over and threw my arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. "Shh." He said, soothingly. "It'll be fine. Everything will be fine." I nodded into his shoulder as I held him tight, not wanting to let him go.

It felt like forever that he held me and told me that no matter what he would be there for me. We would be there for each other and the baby. When we finally let go I brushed away his tears with my thumbs and planted a kiss on his mouth. He smiled and then his eyes trailed down to my stomach.

"You can't see it yet but in another month and a half I'll actually look it." I took his hand and placed it against my stomach. He flinched but didn't move his hand.

"How…when will we know whether it's a boy or a girl?" Ron asked. I smiled while new tears slid down my face.

"We have to wait a couple months." I said. Ron smiled as he stared at his hand on my belly. I placed my hands over his and he turned his gaze to me. Our lips met again.

"Can we put this away for today?" Ron asked, motioning to the mess on the table. "Tomorrow we'll figure it out and how we're going to tell everyone. But today can we just have fun at the party?"

"But tomorrow's your birthday." I protested.

"I know." Ron said. He smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Ok." I agreed as I began cleaning up the mess.

"Let me.' Ron said. I smiled and sat back with my cup of tea, shutting my eyes. I felt a lot better now that Ron knew.

Around four we got to London. We were over an hour late but I learned that the term Morning Sickness does not always mean that you'll get sick in the morning.

"Finally!" Ginny exclaimed jokingly as we met them where we were suppose to.

"Sorry." I apologized. "We lost track of time."

"Well come on, we've got a lot of preparations to get ready for this fabulous party that I helped Luna plan." Ginny said, tugging my arm.

In her bathroom Ginny had set up a mini spa. It was nice to sit back and relax while I munched on Saltines that Ron had picked up for me this morning. I even bore a new hairstyle for the event. Ginny had cut my hair above the shoulders and lightened it. We dressed in her closet where she had already picked out outfits for the both of us. Her dress was a sparkly black one with strappy shoes and mine was more my style: soft pink that came down past my knees and simple soft pink flats.

"Like em'?" Ginny asked.

"Gin, it's beautiful. Where'd you get it?" I turned around, looking in the mirror. I glanced over my stomach again to make sure that it wasn't getting bigger when I wasn't looking.

"I made them." She said.

"What?" I spun around to face her.

"Yeah. It wasn't that hard. I made Luna's too. You have to see it."

"Ginny, these are amazing!" I looked in the mirror again. "Wow, you're really brilliant." I said, my voice was getting high and squeaky as if I were about to cry.

"Are you ok?" Ginny asked. "It's just a dress. One of the first. I'm thinking of making and selling them for the end of the year ball."

"Brilliant!" I said again as I hugged Ginny and willed the tears not to come. Damn hormones!

When Ron saw me his eyes lit up. I could tell he liked the new hair do and the dress was an added bonus. Harry started complementing Ginny while Ron walked over and took my hands.

"You look amazing." He said as he held me tight and kissed my cheek.

"I love you." I said. Ron nodded against my cheek. Since this morning when we talked about it and I admitted this to him we were closer. We had a secret from everyone else that we as adults had to figure out on our own.

"Ready to go?" Harry asked, putting Ginny's coat on. He, like Ron, was dressed in a tux since this was a formal affair.

"Yeah." Ron said, wrapping his arm around my waist. For being less than a day shy of turning nineteen he seemed older. Not from his appearance but just because I knew that when he accepted his role as a father-to-be, he had matured greatly.

The party was at this fancy penthouse apartment that Neville and Luna rented for the occasion. They had a piano playing music, waiters walking around with trays of champagne and snack food, and then there were a few people mingling.

We were some of the first few people here. Neville and Luna came to greet us. Luna's dress was quite something, all right. It was silver and ruffly and had a large bow on the front. It was definitely Luna, though, along with the spiky silver sandals and large bow in her hair. Neville bore the standard tux but his silver bowtie was larger than normal.

"Thirsty?" Neville asked as he led us to the bar. "Six glasses of champagne!" Neville told the bartender cheerfully. "We're making a toast."

"Make one a water." I said quickly. Luna gave me a strange look and then turned back to the bartender.

"Yeah, mine too. I've been toasting with champagne a lot lately. I think I've still got a buzz from all of Gran's toasts last night." Luna said, shooting me a friendly smile. I smiled back and tried to catch her eye to see if maybe she knew something but she turned away. Ron didn't seem to notice.

"To wonderful discoveries!" Neville said, holding up his glass.

"And brilliant husbands." Luna said. She kissed Neville right after the toast.

"So how's this going to work?" Ron asked Neville as we moved to a sitting position on one of couches. "Is the television going to air muggle shows or are we going to have wizard TV shows?" I turned away from the conversation as Neville spoke of the ideas for the magical shows that were being talked about.

Everyone from the Gazette was here, Hogwarts friends, I noticed Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia as well, figuring that Harry and Neville must hang out with them a lot, and a lot of people I actually didn't know but I'm assuming that they were behind the Longbottom Magictronics as well.

I was paranoid. I felt that everyone was staring at me and they knew. Every time anyone said anything to me, I practically jumped five feet. I sipped my water and stared around nervously while Neville spoke about his products. Apparently Neville had built his own prototype of a cell phone using recycled muggle cell phone parts. It was powered by a special battery that had been bewitched to carry the information and connect you with others. With the cell phones you had to pay a monthly bill and with a plan, you bought a certain amount of minutes. Similar to a muggle phone.

For TV's and DVD players, it sounded crazy but they were actually going to start filming wizard TV shows and movies. None of this would actually be released for another two years but it was all in production and getting ready to be released. It was some useful stuff. I had to admit that Neville was a pretty clever guy once he set his mind to something.

xxx

We were there for what felt like decades. At one point I wondered if I fell asleep on one of the couches, if anyone would notice…or perhaps passed out in the bathroom? Anything to get me some rest.

Neville made a speech. He thanked people and spoke about Longbottom Magictronics. It was a really nice party but also getting to be eleven o'clock. Ron finally noticed.

"Maybe we should head back to Harry and Ginny's. You look tired." He suggested.

"You do not know how much I love you right now." I said, leaning against him while we made our way through the crowd to talk to Neville.

"Congratulations, Neville. This is really brilliant." Ron said. "If you need any product testers let me know."

"Will do." Neville said, chuckling.

"Listen, Hermione and I are going to head out but we wanted to invite you and Luna to come visit us soon." Ron said as I nodded and smiled, trying to keep my eyes open.

"Aw, you're leaving?" Neville asked. "So soon?" I was about to interject with the fact that I had been working hard at school and was tired, when Luna did that for me.

"Look, the poor girl is overworked. We can't force them to stay any longer." Luna said. She looked at me and I could tell that somehow she knew. She'd known since she asked for water instead of champagne so no one would ask questions about me. She smiled to let me know that our secret was safe with her.

"All right." Neville said. "And I'll write so we can figure out a time to visit."

"Great." Ron said.

It might have been easy to slip out past Neville and Luna but Harry and Ginny were a little trickier.

"No you can't leave!" Ginny exclaimed. "This is a party and you're supposed to party on your days off!" I wanted to cry, thinking about it. I would love to party and drink champagne while talking with friends and catching up on what's been going on with them for the past two months. But I couldn't. It had already started and I wasn't even showing yet. Ron could see the expression on my face and know what I was thinking.

"Actually we prefer relaxing on our days off." He said, a little harshly.

"Come on, live a little." Harry said. "You're birthday is in an hour and we've got to celebrate."

"Tomorrow." I smiled, as politely as I could. "Can we please have your keys?"

"Oh, ok. I get it." Harry chuckled. "Celebrating early." He raised his eyebrows at Ron. Ron forced a smile and I yawned.

"Sure." Ron said and impatiently held his hand out for the keys.

We took a cab back to their flat where I pulled on a pair of sweats and crawled into bed, next to Ron.

"Happy birthday." I said, tiredly. I curled up against him and kissed him.

"Thanks." Ron kissed the top of my head and I could tell he was sitting there, staring out into the darkness, thinking.

We were both silent for a minute and I was on the verge of sleep and awake. "As long as we have a plan I think we'll be able to work through this." Ron said. I smiled but never got the chance to respond because after he said that I succumbed to sleep.

**THE SOONER YOU REVIEW THE SOONER I'LL UPDATE!!! PLEASE!!!! - Kylie**


	9. The Name Game

**a/n: Ok, thank you for the reviews and I have yet again another poll. This one regards names. (by the way in this chapter names are discussed. the names that I put in are some of my favorites so although they are not chosen they are good names and I only put favorites in here...)**

**BOY:  
a.) Xavier  
b.) Cole  
c.) Dane  
e.) Oliver**

**GIRL:  
a.) Kaia  
b.) Mireille (pronounced Meer-ray...it's French)  
c.) Addison  
d.) Violet**

**Pick one of each and soon you'll know whether it's a boy or a girl soon enough! Hint remember when I said I was going to write a story about their daughter's fifth year (it'll be sixth year now) well what if she has an older brother..or two...maybe she's the oldest... Guess that that isn't much a hint but you'll know soon enough. **

**Always,  
Kylie**

Sunlight light up the windows in the guest room of Harry and Ginny's apartment, waking me up. I rolled over and got out of bed, going directly to the suitcase I packed where Ron's present lay hidden away underneath my clothes. I pulled out the wrapped gift that had been shrunken to fit in my suitcase and then the bag of smaller gifts before leaving the room and letting Ron sleep.

In the living room, I sat on the couch with a blanket around my shoulders (the window was open to let some fresh air in) and brought the gift back to its original size. It was an antique typewriter that Ron and I had seen on one of our adventures into Paris. I bought it two weeks ago along with a few books, some clothing and a picture of the two of us for his office. Yesterday these all seemed like good gifts but there was something missing. After what happened last night where we had to leave the party early because I was tired…. It just didn't seem fair that from now on we would be giving up our lives like that.

Ron needed a fun gift. And I knew just what that was.

I left a note for Ron on my pillow saying that I went out and pulled my coat on. There weren't many stores open at seven in the morning but I found one where I picked up several videogames to add to the two Ron already had at home.

As I was walking back into the apartment, I noticed someone outside on the balcony. Moving closer, I noticed that it was Ron. I dropped the bag off in the pile of wrapped presents and ventured out to the balcony with my husband.

"Hi." I said. "Happy birthday." He smiled at me and gave me a hug, pulling me in tight.

"Thanks." He said. His tone didn't seem happy.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing." He responded too quickly. I let go and looked at him, giving him the look that I knew something was going on. Ron looked away and rested his elbows on the ledge of the balcony. I went to pull myself up to a sitting position on the ledge but Ron stopped me and led me to a chair. "Probably not a good idea." He said. I shrugged and crossed my legs, looking at Ron.

"What are we going to do?" He asked.

"I don't know." I said, softly. "We'll figure it out, though. I promise." Ron nodded and turned his gaze down to the floor. I could tell something else was wrong.

"I don't want you to stop going to school." He said. "I don't want you to give this up."

"It's all right." I said. "It'll happen for me eventually but we've got something a little more important to worry about."

"No." Ron said, sternly. "You doing what you love is just as important." Ron was acting weird.

"Ron what's going on?" I asked. I stood up and walked over to him. He was looking at something past me. I turned around to Harry coming out of his bedroom. He waved at us and then went straight for the kitchen. "Ron." I repeated and made him look at me. "What's going on?"

"I don't want you to give up teaching because of me." He said.

"It's not because of you." I said. "And I'm not giving it up completely. After this semester I'm just taking a break."

"I got us into this mess." Ron said. "It was my fault that this happened. I should have been more careful or we shouldn't have done it without thinking, or…" Ron sighed heavily and slumped into a chair with his head in his hands. "I'm sorry." He said. I was shocked; I had no idea that Ron felt guilty about this.

"Ronald Weasley." I said. I kneeled down in front of him. "This is not your fault. It's no one's fault. Look at me." He lifted his face up and looked at me. "We are in this together. It takes two to make a baby and it'll take two to raise this one." I put my hand on my stomach.

"Think about our future with him or her." I said. Realization about everything that goes along with having this baby hit me. I felt surer that I could actually do this. "We'll have to give up a lot of things and our lives are going to change completely. We won't be the same people anymore. We'll be parents. But you know what? It'll all be worth it. Can you imagine watching him or her be born? Or taking his first step? Saying her first word? Right now it's tough but it'll be worth it, babe, I promise." Ron smiled at me and kissed me when I finished talking.

"How come you always get to be the brave one and tell me that everything it ok?" Ron asked.

"No." I corrected with a smile. "We both have to help each other through this. Sometimes it'll be hard on me and sometimes it'll be hard on you. We'll get through it…together." Ron smiled and pulled me in for a hug. He whispered that he loved me in my ear.

"How are we supposed to tell everyone?" Ron asked. "Remember when we told them our wedding date and your mum and my mum flipped?"

"You know what?" I asked as we stood up to go back inside because it was freezing. "Let's give it a couple years and then we'll have the baby tell them." Ron smiled and chuckled.

"Whose baby?" Harry asked. I hadn't seen him sitting on the couch watching TV. I assumed he was still in the kitchen.

Ron and I looked at each other, deciding to tell Harry.

"Ours." Ron said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. Harry laughed.

"Good one." He said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm pregnant." I said. (I've said it before but it still sounds weird to say.) Harry spit out his coffee all over the coffee table in front of him.

"You're what?" He asked.

"We – are – having – a – baby." Ron said, slowly. Harry stared at us for a second. He seemed to be thinking about how he should react.

"You'll be an Uncle." I told him. "Well Uncle/Godfather." Harry got up and hugged me and then Ron.

"Really?" He asked. "You want me to be your baby's Godfather?"

"Only if you want to." I said.

"I do." Harry said, smiling. "This is great I can't believe it!" Harry looked unsure for a second, like he had something to ask that he didn't know how to.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Well, how are you going to do this?" Harry asked. "Are you going to stay in Paris or come back here? And don't take this the wrong way but both of you are nineteen years old, how are you going to handle this?"

"We've still got planning to do." Ron said. "I just found out yesterday."

"We're still staying in Paris." I told Harry. "And after this semester I'm going to take a semester off. We'll figure out how to handle it as we go along. You learn from experience." We moved to the couch to sit down.

"What are you going to name it?" Harry asked excitedly. "If it's a boy: Harry, of course, and if it's a girl: Harriett." He said, answering his own question. Ron and I laughed.

"Like I said, we haven't gotten that far along in the planning." Ron said.

"And anyways….I don't think we'll be going for something quite like that." I said. "I think something pretty like Sophia." Ron shook his head.

"No. I don't want my daughter named Sophia. It sounds too pretentious." Ron said.

"I like it." I huffed.

"How about Cooper for a boy?" Ron suggested.

"No way! My son is not going to be called _Coop_." I said. "Gideon."

"What the hell kinda name is that?" Ron asked.

"It's different. I like it." I protested.

"Grace." Ron said.

"Grace Weasley." I said, trying it out. Ron and I both shook our heads while Harry joined in.

"Edmund." He said.

"No!" Ron and I both exclaimed.

"Isis?" I asked.

"Not a chance. Duncan?" Ron chose.

"Nope. Joel?" I inquired.

"I don't think so." Ron grimaced while Harry shook his head in agreement.

"Ruby." Harry said.

"Don't think so." I said.

"Pierce." Ron considered.

"Another one that doesn't work well with the last name." Harry said before I could.

"Elijah?" I questioned.

"No!" Ron said, sternly.

"Scarlet?" Harry considered.

"No." Ron said, while I thought about it. "Rachel?"

"Nope." I rejected. "Jacinda."

"Again, what the hell kind of name is that?" Ron asked.

"It's pretty." I objected.

"Hunter." Ron suggested.

"No, but this game is fun." I said. Ron and Harry laughed.

We threw out more names, rejecting every one of them. We still had seven and a half moths to make a final decision but it was fun to start thinking now.

"Jacob!" I contemplated while Harry and Ron said no.

"What are we doing?" Ginny asked, appearing behind us at the couch with a cup of coffee. She walked around the couch and took a seat in the chair. "Happy birthday!" She said to Ron as she sat.

"We are playing the baby name game." I said, knowing that we would be breaking the news to her.

"Oh I love that game!" Ginny exclaimed. "How about Jordyn for a girl?"

"I like it." I said.

"No." Ron shook his head.

"Come on Ron, it's different." I protested. Ron held his ground and shook his head again.

"It's not a name for a girl. And even if it was for a boy, still no."

"You've rejected every other name I put out there." I said. "At this rate, we'll just call it Baby."

"Actually–" Ron started.

"No!" I exclaimed.

"You guys can relax, it's just a game." Ginny said. She leaned forward to the coffee table to pick up her coffee but Harry took it away from her.

"Actually Ginny." I said as Ron took my hand. "I'm pregnant." (still weird to say.)

"We're having a little Adam." Ron said.

"No!" I replied, glaring at Ron.

"Come on, give it a chance!" Ron said, smiling as Ginny stared at us, her face was still in shock. Harry set her coffee back down and turned to Ron and I.

"How about Maggie?" I liked the name but I didn't say anything because I was waiting for Ginny to.

"Pregnant?" Ginny asked.

"A month and a half." I said.

"It takes time to get used to the idea." Ron said. "I just found out yesterday. But you get to be doubly excited because you're going to be the Aunt/Godmother." All Ginny was waiting for was the word excited to know that it was ok to celebrate. She wanted to make sure that Ron and I were happy about this.

"This is amazing!" She exclaimed, jumping up to hug us. "I'm so happy for you! And no about Adam Ron, and you can't use Jordyn because that's mine."

"Not anymore!" Harry said in a cheery voice. He got up and got in on the hug too.

"Were you planning this?" Ginny asked "Or did it just happen? Hermione, your dad is going to be so excited about this! I'm sure mum and dad will be happy too! This is huge news and a great birthday gift, Ron!" Ginny was rambling excitedly so it was hard to hear what she was saying.

"Speaking of my birthday." Ron said. "I'm starving. Gin, want to make us something to eat?"

"Actually." Ginny said. "I know you two don't eat junk food anymore but I figured we couldn't let go of a tradition." She led us to the kitchen where she took a large cake out of the freezer. "It's an ice cream cake." She said. Ron wrapped Ginny in a hug.

"You always were my favorite sister." Ron said. He was already attempting to dig into the frozen cake.

"Gift time!" I said, dashing over to go get the gifts I bought for Ron. Harry and Ginny went to grab theirs too. "Open them!" I said, dropping the gifts in front of Ron.

"This one's heavy." Ron noted, picking up the typewriter. He abandoned the cake that he couldn't get his fork into and pulled off the paper. When he saw it, he smiled. He stood up and pulled me in for a hug, holding me tight and telling me that he loved me.

"Now, that's the one you wanted but this is because I love you and figured that you could still be a kid sometimes." I handed over the video games and he smiled.

"You are the greatest wife a guy could ask for." He said to me.

"Yeah, I know." I joked, smiling at him. He opened Harry and Ginny's gifts before the cake was finally ready to dig into.

"Listen, I don't think we should tell anyone else today." I said as we were in the bedroom, getting ready. Molly had planned a little party for Ron, claiming that it was the first in seven years since he was always off at Hogwarts.

"Me either." Ron said. "We should probably have a plan before we tell anyone else anything."

"Exactly." I said, smiling. I pulled on a pair of black pants with a light blue top.

"What about Holly?" Ron suggested as he buttoned up the blue shirt I got for him.

"No." I said. "Sebastian?"

"Not a chance that my son is going to be Sebastian." Ron said. I laughed.

"Let's give it some time." I said. "We've still got a lot of other planning to do."

"All right." Ron laughed.

We arrived at the Burrow around one. Everyone was already there.

"I can't believe you're nineteen all ready!" Molly exclaimed, squeezing Ron. "It seems like just yesterday that you were merely a day old."

"Thanks mum." Ron said. We moved on past the crowd as they all said "Happy Birthday" to Ron. Immediately people who we haven't seen since the wedding were bombarding us with questions about Paris. It took at least an hour to answer everyone's questions.

All together there were five babies at the party. Three who were just learning to walk, and two who were just learning everything. It was different to hold babies when you knew that you were pregnant compared to before when I wasn't. With everything I did I was terrified that I was doing something wrong or that I was going to hurt it. I was holding Gregory when he began to cry. Nothing I did worked so I handed him off to Penelope and quickly exited the room with tears streaming down my cheeks.

Ron followed me up to his old room. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Me!" I shouted. "I'm going to be a horrible mother." I collapsed on his bed, crying.

"What?" He asked. "Hermione, that's ridiculous."

"Did you not just see Gregory scream bloody murder when I held him?" I asked as Ron sat on his bed and put his hand on my back.

"You walked away before you heard Penelope say that he was hungry." Ron said, trying to make me feel better.

"I didn't know that!" I said, defeated. "What happens when our baby screams and screams and screams because I can't tell whether it's hungry or...or whatever's wrong with it?"

"'Mione, you're only a month and a half pregnant by the time our baby's born you'll have developed your maternal instinct." Ron said. I thought about what he said. I remembered Pansy, someone who I wouldn't have pegged for motherly in the least bit. But look at her now. I sat up and looked at Ron.

"Does my face look like hell?" I asked. Ron smiled and brushed away the tears with his hands.

"Not in the least bit." He said.

"Thank you for calming me down." I hugged him.

"Well it's about time I got my turn." He joked. I laughed while we got up and headed back down to the party.

Back at home a little later on Ron and I were sitting in the guest room looking at the current decor of the room. There was the remainder of the ice cram cake that managed to make the trip with a spell on the bed in front of us.

"We could do green and yellow just to get the room decorated and that part out of the way." Ron suggested. "Those are neutral colors." We had been in the kitchen, talking and planning when we decided to come up here and see what we could do to make the room nice for a baby.

"I think we should wait." I said. "I'd rather know whether to paint it pink or blue."

"Do you think that if we end up painting it pink I could still put a Cannons poster up?" Ron asked. I laughed.

"Of course." I said, leaning over and kissing him. Ron pulled me on top of him and moved the cake to the table beside the bed. When the kissing became more heated I reached for the buttons on Ron's shirt.

"Wait a second!" Ron said, stopping me. "If we do this, we're not going to end up with twins or triplets... Are we?" I laughed again.

"You know, I don't think that's how it works." I said.

"Good." Ron said, capturing my lips with his once again.

Who knew what the next seven and a half months had in store for us. We had a lot to go through in that time span but I knew that as long as I had Ron that we could handle it.

**REVIEW PLEASE!!! AND CHOOSE A NAME PLEASE!!!**


	10. Grandparents

**a/n: Thanks for the reviews!!! I hope you like this chapter and I would like to thank The Diva Divine for her help with this!!!****Keept reviewing and I'll keep updating!!!!  
(someone was wondering how Kaia was pronounced. I only read the name but the way I've been pronouncing it is _Ky - a_) **

**So enjoy!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

Two weeks later (by the time I was two months pregnant…eight weeks) Ron and I had finally come up with a plan for all of this.

I would be staying in school for the remainder of the semester and then taking one off and coming back for the next. It would take longer to finally graduate but Ron didn't want me to give it up completely. When I did go back to school we would put our child in a day care, on _Ruelle Cachée_. When that happened, one day a week Ron wouldn't work while I would have one day off from classes. We decided that we would stay where we were for now and after the year is up we'll choose if we want to stay here and buy a house or go back to England and buy a house.

Everything else was figured out. Including how we were supposed to break the news to everyone. We thought that we should tell our parents in Paris, where they could see we were surviving without help and then we would have a party at the Burrow where we would announce to all of our friends and family that we were having a baby.

At the moment I was stressing over a cookbook. Ron had taken our parents to get comfortable in their hotel and then they were going to go look around Paris. I had gotten sick twice today. Ron passed it off as Morning Sickness but I was convinced that it was a mix of Morning Sickness with nerves. I didn't know if I was going to be able to tell my parents. I fell into a seat at the kitchen table while I waited for the oven timer to go off. Midnight jumped into my lap. I started reading where I left off in _What To Know When You're an Expecting Witch_.

Ron had come with me to visit Healer Statham a week ago and we got a picture of the baby. It wasn't very big yet but it was there, hard to see but there. It was framed and sitting on our dresser. Ron's face was amazed when he first saw our child projected onto a screen from the Healer's wand. His expression was a mix of joy, pride, and awe. I loved him more than ever when I saw that. And afterwards, when Healer Statham was going over things that he would have to do, Ron listened intently and took care to make sure he did everything she told him. I was really impressed with him.

I was interrupted from my book when I heard the front door open.

"Our mothers officially love Paris." Ron said.

"At least they'll be happy before they are completely disappointed in us." I replied.

"They might be happy when we tell them." Ron said. He took a seat at the table, next to me.

"Yeah, right." I said.

"Ok, before you say no, think about these." Ron said. I closed up my book and put Midnight down.

"What?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Lucy for a girl or Tyler for a boy." Ron said.

"I'll add Tyler to the list but I don't know about Lucy." I said.

"Fair enough." Ron agreed. For the past two weeks Ron and I had been keeping a list of the names we liked. It wasn't a very big list but we figured once we know the sex of the baby, we'll narrow it down and eventually pick one.

So far we had:

Girls- 

_Adriana_

_Dahlia_

_Addison _

_Rebecca_

_Violet_

_Boys-_

_Benjamin_

_Daniel_

_Aidan_

_Oliver_

_Cole_

_Tyler_ (recent addition)

I liked all of them but I wasn't sure which one was right for the baby. I guess I would have to figure out what the sex of the baby is first.

"Anything new going on?" Ron asked. "Healer Statham said that your waistline should start growing during week eight. Any change?" God, I loved him. But he could be so bloody annoying at times. I had actually avoided wearing pants with zippers or buttons for the past week, in hopes of not getting upset at the fact that I'm getting bigger. The knee length white cotton skirt I was wearing now, had an elastic waist that fit comfortably on me. I was even wearing a light yellow tank top because it was warm for once, showing signs of spring. I crossed my arms over my chest and then crossed one leg over the other, hoping Ron didn't notice that one of my flip-flops fell off (it looked much less intimidating if he did).

"Why does it look like my waistline is growing?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"No. No. Of course not. I was only trying to keep track of this stuff. You get to carry the baby so I have to ask these things." Ron said, trying to redeem himself.

"Would you like to carry it?" I asked, angrily.

"I'm sorry!" Ron looked a little scared of me at this moment. I felt bad and realized that I hated these stupid hormones that come with pregnancy.

"No, I'm sorry." I said. "I shouldn't have flipped out on you." I rested my hand on his arm as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" I said. "Watch the oven and take care of the book." I instructed Ron.

I ventured through the spotlessly clean apartment (it had taken me four hours yesterday to get it that way) and opened the door, expecting to see Molly, Arthur and my parents but to my surprise Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia stood there with suitcases, smiling.

"Hermione!" Fred exclaimed rushing forward and lifting me off my feet. I screamed. Ron came rushing out of the kitchen.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Ron asked, worriedly.

"Angelina and I thought we should tell you first but Fred and George thought it would be better to surprise you." Alicia said as she hugged me and moved onto Ron.

"But you came up the same weekend mum and dad came up." Ron said, meekly.

"Yeah. That's why we didn't call because you were already having guests. But we'll be here until Tuesday." George said.

"We're sorry for intruding like this. We can go stay at a hotel if it's trouble." Angelina said.

"That's ridiculous." I said, forcing a smile and a laugh. "You're family! You can stay here." I focused on taking deep, calm breaths. There was going to be an audience of eight when Ron and I gave our news.

"Bill and Fleur are on their way. They left earlier and took the Chunnel." Fred said. "They couldn't take a Portkey with Alexis and Cecilia." That's twelve people! (Only ten could really comprehend the news.)

"They're coming too?" I asked, feeling faint.

"Now, you had to know they were coming up because mum said she was going to tell you." George said.

"No. She said they were coming to Paris…" Ron trailed off. "I thought she meant that they were visiting Fleur's family."

"No, they decided the other day that they would come visit too and then we decided to. Ginny had to stay at school for the weekend and Harry was visiting her so we didn't ask them, Charlie, Alison, Percy, and Penelope have the new babies so they couldn't come otherwise we would have had the whole family come up." Fred said. Midnight came into the hallway where we were all standing and looked up at Fred and George who must have reminded her of Ron. She brushed up against their legs until one of them picked her up.

"Ron, I didn't think you liked cats." George said as he petted Midnight.

"I don't." Ron said. "But Midnight's not an ordinary cat."

"She's cute." Alicia said, taking the cat from him.

My head was spinning. All I could think about was the fact that not only would I have to tell my parents but I'd have to tell half of Ron's family too.

"Why don't we go into the living room and sit down?" Ron suggested, holding onto my shoulders. I must have looked pretty pale.

"What's up there?" Angelina asked, gesturing towards the staircase.

"Guestroom." Ron answered. He set me down into the chair.

"But we're still fixing that up so you'll have to sleep down here. Is that ok?" I asked, picturing the room that was littered with fabric samples, color swatches, a Chudley Cannons poster, and some stuffed animals that Sasha and Trey bought for us when we told them.

"No big deal." Fred said. "We've got the TV down here." He chuckled. I looked at the clock. It was only half past four. There was still time to make a new dinner and figure out how I was going to do this.

"What's this?" George asked.

"That is the coolest thing in the world." Ron answered. "It's a video game." Suddenly I had an idea.

"Ron, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked.

"Sure." Ron answered, immediately heading into the kitchen behind me.

"Listen, you tell Fred, George, and Bill. I'll tell Angelina, Alicia, and Fleur." I said.

"Ok. But wouldn't it be simpler to tell them at dinner when we tell our parents?" Ron asked. I shut off the stove and fell back into the kitchen chair.

"I can't do it that way." I said. "I can't have to worry about what they're going to say at the same time I'm worrying about what our parents are going to say."

"All right." Ron agreed.

"Thank you!" I smiled and hugged him before exiting the kitchen to ask Angelina and Alicia to come grocery shopping with me. Bill and Fleur made it right before we left so Fleur brought along Cecilia and Bill and Alexis stayed with the guys at the apartment.

"So what are we making?" Alicia asked as we walked down the aisle of fresh vegetables.

"It's a surprise." I said.

"Oh. I like the sound of that." Angelina said.

"Eez eet French?" Fleur asked. "I do mizz French food at timez."

"Yes. I got it out of a French cookbook." I answered. Fleur went on about her favorite French dishes while she held Cecilia. Cecilia smiled at me and stuck her hand out like she was waving. I looked away because the baby was making me nervous.

"Hermione?" Angelina asked.

"What?" I snapped, unintentionally. "Sorry. Yes?"

"I was just going to ask you if you needed tomatoes?" Angelina said.

"Yes." I answered, trying to smile.

"What's wrong?" Alicia asked. I considered blurting it right out but thought better of it.

"I have to tell you three something." I started, shakily.

"What eez eet?" Fleur asked.

"I'm…" I started but couldn't finish. "I'm actually not going to need the tomatoes." I said. I turned away and picked up a green pepper.

"Come on Hermione." Angelina protested. "You can tell us. What happened to being as close as sisters?"

"It's hard to say." I admitted, glancing at Cecilia who found interest in attempting to eat her hand. "It's something big for Ron and I and I don't know how many times I can tell it today when I have to tell my parents and Molly and Arthur." I continued rambling for a minute.

"You're pregnant aren't you?" Fleur asked. I nodded. All three of them reacted happily. They asked questions, hugged me, and congratulated me. It was actually a nice reaction so for once today I actually felt good about my news.

We got everything else I needed (in large quantities since I was cooking for twelve people (including Ron and myself) and then headed back to the apartment. At the door, Ron took the bags out of my hand and I was nearly suffocated when Fred, George, and Bill took turns hugging me.

"Ron showed us the list so we took the liberty of making you a new one." Fred said, handing me a new piece of paper that said:

_Names:_

_Fred_

George 

"And what if it's a girl?" I asked. George took the paper from me and scribbled something down before handing it back.

Frieda 

_Georgina_

I laughed. "Thanks but I think we'll stick to the old list." I handed the list to Alicia and Angelina. "You guys can use this." They glared at me, jokingly while I hugged Ron.

"I don't think we're going to tell our parents today." I said.

"Why not?" He asked.

"I'm too tired." I said.

"I weel make dinner." Fleur said. "You rest."

I gave in and let Fleur make dinner while I went to the bedroom to lie down. I grabbed the picture of my baby of the dresser before lying down and stared at it, wishing that I could see it and hold it. But then I wondered if I would be able to hold my baby. I was afraid to hold any other baby since Greg. How would I react to my own? Or what would happen if Fleur asked me to hold Alexis or Cecilia? Why was I afraid of them if one was growing inside of me right now?

I didn't know the answers to these questions. I did, however, know that I would love him or her unconditionally. It wasn't a full baby yet but that small thing inside of me, the size of a lima bean, was the most beautiful thing in the world.

I heard a soft knocking at the door and let (who I thought was Ron) in.

"What's going on?" I asked, sitting up as Fred and George came into the room. Both of them were holding a baby.

"We just wanted to see how you were." Fred said. He and George came in and sat on the bed, putting Alexis and Cecilia down to crawl on the bed. I scooted away a little.

"I knew it!" George exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, innocently as I stood up and brought the picture of my baby back to the dresser.

"You're afraid to hold the babies." Fred said.

"No, I am not." I said. There was no way I could convince them that I wasn't, they knew. "Don't tell Ron." I pleaded.

"Why can't you hold them?" Fred asked. "These are the good ones. The ones that you can hold and spoil but give them back to Fleur when they cry."

"But that's exactly it!" I cried. "When they cry, I cry because I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to be a mother if I'm afraid of babies?"

"Look, it takes time." George said. He picked up Alexis and walked him over to me. "Just hold him." I reached my arms out but drew them back.

"What if he cries?" I asked.

"Then he cries." George says. "I bet you can calm him down." Anything was worth a shot. I reached out my arms and lifted Alexis up and held him to me. It wasn't so bad.

"Hey Lex." I whispered. "He's not crying!" I exclaimed, with an amazed look on my face. I smiled at him while Fred went to pick up Cecilia who was crawling near the edge of the bed. He took her pacifier from her and she started screaming, which set Alexis off. "I didn't even do anything." I said. I made a motion to hand him back to George but George stepped back.

"You can make him stop crying." George said.

"How?" I asked, on the verge of crying, myself. George shrugged while Fred was trying to quiet Cecilia with her pacifier. I started moving side to side with Alexis in my arms. "Shhhh." I said, desperately. Cecilia was quiet now but Alexis was still crying. "Please don't cry." I begged. "Please." I continued to move with him in my arms, and making a shushing sound. I remember watching on some TV show that that was what you were supposed to do. As I relaxed more Alexis seemed to relax in my arms and he slowly stopped crying. "I did it!" I exclaimed as George handed me Alexis's pacifier. "He stopped crying!" Fred and George smiled.

"See, you can do it." Fred said. "It all comes from experience."

"How did you know before?" I asked.

"Every time someone got close to you with a baby, you would back away with a terrified look on your face." George said. "We figured that it was our job as the favorite Uncles of your unborn child to make you feel better about it."

"Thank you!" I smiled and hugged each one of them (with the one arm I had available). We heard the front door open, letting us know that Molly, Arthur, and mum and dad were here.

With a new surge of confidence I handed Alexis back to George and grabbed the picture of my baby in me off the dresser and headed out into the hallway.

"Come into the living room." I said after I had hugged everyone. "Ron and I want to tell you something."

Bill was sitting on the floor, staring at the television screen in a race. He noticed the parents/grandparents there and abandoned his game since he knew the news that was coming.

"Have a seat." I said, gesturing to the couch.

"Are you ready to do this now?" Ron asked. I looked down at the picture in my hands and nodded. Our parents watched us expectantly.

"Ron and I weren't planning on this at this time in our lives but we've decided to embrace the good in this situation and we hope that you'll do the same." I said. Ron smiled and grabbed my hand.

"We're having a baby!" Ron said. We waited anxiously for some sort of response. Bill, Fred, George, Alicia, Angelina, and Fleur all held their breaths as well while we watched reactions from our parents. Dad jumped up and hurried to give us a hug.

"My first grandchild!" He said, happily. I smiled but there were still three more grandparents that we needed the OK from. Arthur stood up next. He didn't look as happy as my dad did but at least we got a reaction from him.

"Well, this is soon." He said. He looked a little disappointed, like I'd feared. "Your brothers just had children and they're actually in their twenties and have been married for some time but this is my grandchild we're talking about. Congratulations." He hugged us both. If Arthur wasn't that happy with us, how were our mothers going to react?

Molly and mum turned to look at each other. For some reason it made me think that they had discussed this. It made me angry to think that they had talked about what they would do if Ron and I were to get pregnant at an early age.

They turned to look back at us. "Well, this isn't exactly what we wanted to hear." Mum said. "We were hoping that we wouldn't have to hear this for another couple of years but it's happened so we have to deal with it."

_Deal with it?_

"Hermione, Ann and I will help you get your things and you can come live at the Burrow and after four months is up, Ron will come and join us." Molly said. My face fell and I gripped Ron's hand tightly.

"You still have your bookshop so you can work there and Ron can go back to working at the Gazette in England. After a year you two you can get a house and Molly and I will be there every day for help." Mum said. "You can come back with us tomorrow and get settled in while we find you a good doctor – or healer – and we'll help you get through this."

"No." Ron said, simply while angry tears started to fall from my eyes.

"Excuse me?" Mum asked.

"I mean no disrespect to either of you when I say this." Ron said. "We appreciate the fact that you two care and want to help but Hermione and I are adults. Yeah, we're only nineteen but we got ourselves into this situation and we'll figure out how to deal with it." That was much nicer than what I was going to say but at least he got to the point.

"Don't be ridiculous." Molly said. "There's no way you two can raise a baby on your own."

"You're nineteen years old. You have no baby experience whatsoever." Mum said. "Hermione, you'll live with Molly and as soon as the four months that you promised Jacques is up, you can come home too." She said to Ron.

"We're not going!" I exclaimed loudly (or yelled I was too mad to notice).

"I knew this would happen if you got married early." Molly shook her head. "I knew it as soon as you were able to be _intimate_ with each other, this would happen."

I lost it.

"For your information, Ron and I have been 'intimate' with each other for quite some time, longer than the three months that we've been married." I spat angrily. On normal circumstances I wouldn't have ever let them know that but I was too mad to care. "We live here in Paris and we will for as long as we please. We have a plan that we came up with, without your help." I was truly appalled that they thought we couldn't do this on our own. I turned, gave my father a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for being supportive dad." I said, before picking up Midnight and heading up the stairs to the baby's room where I locked the door and turned the small radio on loudly.

I was too mad to cry about it so I took the baby book that Harry and Ginny sent us, off of the bed and sat on the floor with it and Midnight. There were a few things that I could fill in before he or she was born so I began working on that. Several minutes later I heard the knocking on the door that I had been waiting for. I turned off the radio.

"Ron?" I asked, before opening the door.

"Yeah." Ron said. I opened the door and frowned when I saw that he was standing there alone. I had kind of hoped that they would be with him. He reached his arms out to hug me.

"What did they say?" I asked.

"They said that we were being as irresponsible as we were the night that this child was conceived and when we finally came around they would be there to help us. Your dad tried to talk them out of leaving…even my dad said that they were being ridiculous but they're gone."

I felt like crying. Yeah, we'd need them. They were our baby's grandmothers. But there was no way we were moving. We had a plan and could handle this baby. They would have to come around and see that. Ron shut the door.

"I told Fleur to save us something to eat because we weren't hungry now." Ron informed me. He walked to the bed with me where we lay down, facing each other.

"Why can't they be happy for us?" I asked. I still prevented myself from shedding any tears over this. Why bother? This baby was happy news…well it was supposed to be.

"Because they're scared for us." Ron answered. "They're scared and they can't take control over what's going to happen. I think that if we were living back in England that this might be easier on them because they'd find some way to take control…"

"Will they ever get over it?" I asked, hoping that Ron knew the answer.

"When it comes to their grandchild?" Ron asked. "Of course. It'll just take some time for them to get used to the fact that we can do this without their help." I smiled and leaned forward, pressing my lips against Ron's.

I moved in closer and his arms wrapped around me. Grandmothers or no grandmothers we were having a baby together and he was all I needed to make that work.

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!**


	11. Good Friends

**a/n: In honor of Mother's Day I thought I'd post a chapter for you all about our soon-to-be mother. (I was going to post next week but in the spirit of the holiday and the fact that our current story line is about a soon to be mother I thought I'd post a little earlier.) Thank you everyone for the reviews!! I'm glad you're liking the story. Good news: I have written up to chapter 14 and working on 15 so the sooner you review the sooner I'll update.  
So this chapter was one that felt like it needed to be there. It's just clearing up a few things before something important that happens in chapter twelve! **

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

A week after we told our parents we went back to England to share the news with everyone else who didn't already know. Since our parents still had not said anything to us, other than trying to convince me to move into the Burrow with a long letter saying that I was not going to be able to handle a baby alone when it came but they could help. The letter upset me instead of having the desired affect Mum and Mrs. Weasley were hoping for. We planned on having our party to celebrate at Harry and Ginny's flat where the godparents-to-be were happy to host it for us. Everyone was happy for us. (Apparently Luna knew because my Aura was glowing bright and then the water instead of champagne tipped her off. It was nice to know that I had a really good friend like her who would cover for me.) Everyone who now knew was in full celebration mood ever since and we were constantly getting calls, letters and even gifts. I couldn't deny that I was loving all of the attention.

All of the gifts were really starting to add up though. In fact, our living room was full of balloons and cards, stuffed animals, frames for pictures of the baby, even some baby toys that I figure will not be used right away, and a very, very large stuffed Teddy Bear that Fred and George thought was a good gift to give an unborn baby…go figure!

At ten weeks pregnant (two and a half months) I decided to do some organizing and set the baby's room up with furniture so that I can have my living room space back. We would still have to wait a little bit to find out whether it was a girl or a boy but I figured a crib, dresser, changing table, and a few other things that weren't color orientated could be bought. I had decided, however, that if it is a boy I was going to paint the room a light green with a white trim and if it is a girl then I'll paint it a light purple with a white trim.

Tonks planned on spending the day in Paris with me and she was bringing along Penny. I was excited to see the two of them again and hoped that they would be some help in choosing the right furniture as well as some advice on how to deal with the grandmothers of my unborn child. It was Thursday so I had the entire day to get the room organized.

After Ron left at eight (when Jacques had found out about it, he had been very happy for us and gave Ron and extra hour in the morning to get to work and he would come home an hour earlier) I got into the shower to get ready. Upon getting out of the shower, I dried my hair and put make-up on before going into my room to find something to wear. Unfortunately I had noticed that I was getting bigger. I wasn't showing yet but I just barely fit into my new black cropped pants. It was seriously depressing. I put on a white short-sleeve top with the pants, and my black pumps before pulling on a jean jacket, grabbing a granola bar and heading out the door.

Maternity shopping would definitely have to wait until month three. I wasn't quite ready for that yet.

Tonks and Penny were both smiling when I went to pick them up. It was adorable that Penny was wearing the same blue sundress and white jacket as Tonks was. I tried to picture myself pushing a stroller with my daughter wearing the same thing I was…or even pushing the stroller walking next to Ron who was wearing the same thing as our son. Either way it would be adorable and I would be happy whether it was a boy or a girl.

"Bonjour! Il est beau ici!" Tonks said, marveling at Paris.

"Oui. Il est. Nous l'aimons ici." I replied, telling her that we loved it here. "Hey girly!" I said to Penny, picking her up. Penny giggled

"How're you feeling?" Tonks asked. "Still have morning sickness?" "Occasionally." I answered as we began walking while I still held Penny. "The books say that by the second trimester it should be over and that tea you recommended helps a lot."

"Well, just know that it's worth it in the end." Tonks informed me. "You end up with something as beautiful as that." She looked at her daughter. "Isn't that right, Baby Girl?" Tonks shook her head and Penny shook hers too. She made a noise that sounded like "Ya!" It was the cutest thing in the world!

Tonks and I found this baby furniture store where I purchased just the basics that would help me get the layout of the baby's room going.

We stopped at a café while Penny rested in the stroller. We would have to be back at the apartment in an hour for the delivery.

"So how exactly – I need specific details here – has your life changed since having Penny?" I asked as if we were in an interview. It was kind of funny but this here was vital information I needed, first hand from mother to almost mother.

""Well," Tonks started, laughing only slightly. "It's changed…completely." I must have looked a little terrified (I had only expected it to change somewhat but what the hell did I know?) because she quickly added, "but in a good way." She smiled at me and put a reassuring hand over mine. "You have this little…person that you created and you have to care for her and love her. You get to watch her grow up. Watch her take her first steps. Listen to her first words. And you see every hair on her head grow, her eyes change color daily." Tonk's face lit up while she was talking about Penny. "It's so beautiful." She started to cry and I handed her a napkin from the table.

"Wow." I said, resting a hand over my stomach.

"You're going to love being a mum." Tonks said, blowing her nose. I smiled. "Don't get me wrong, I do miss certain things." Tonks said when her tears stopped. "Remus and I used to go out dancing on occasions and have our _alone time_ and all of that's hard to come by when you've got a nine month old screaming in your ear until you feed her but we have a lot of babysitters from work that love to look after her so that we can go out. But just know that things like that won't be the same." I nodded as I listened to her but watched Penny. At the moment I wasn't too concerned with giving up our "Wild Partiers" (note the sarcasm) status, but with just watching Penny sleep and becoming excited to have my own child.

Back at the apartment and hour later a group of deliverymen were bringing in the boxes of everything I ordered. I knew enough French to tell them that they didn't have to set the furniture up. I wasn't going to make the same mistake again by having them set it up and having no where to put it so I figured Ron would do that when he got home.

Tonks and I sat at the dining room table, talking while Penny slept nearby. On top of the baby gifts in the room there were now stacks of boxes, filled with things our unborn child would eventually use. It felt great to listen to stories from someone who had just recently went through it all. It helped me prepare myself for what was to come.

"Have you talked to your mum or Molly lately?" Tonks eventually asked.

"No." I responded sadly. "They won't support the fact that we're going to raise this baby on our own. I honestly would love it if they were supportive but I can't change their minds. Right now it's up to them if they're in my child's life." Tonks smiled at me.

"And that, my dear, is the mark of a mature woman." She said. "You did not give in against your will and you aren't making this into a bigger deal than it should be. Congratulations."

I smiled and thought that over. And I thought I was going to havet to wait for all this maturity to come when the baby came…

xxx

"We should get going." Tonks said after a bit. "Remus is coming home today. Penny gets so excited when she sees him after the full moon is over." I smiled. Now, I was really looking forward to this. Imagine Ron coming home from work (not that that's remotely the same as Lupin going away for the full moon) and our child would be excited to see him. Sure, tomorrow when I was sick again I would regret ever getting pregnant in the first place but there were good days and bad days to it.

"Thank you for your help today." I said, hugging her at the door. I was glad that she was in my life to be a good friend and help out.

"Any time." Tonks replied. "You just let me know when." I smiled, yet again.

After closing the door I sat down on the couch with one of my pregnant books but after reading a page my head fell to the cushion next to me and my eyes shut.

I awoke to the smell of something…amazing. I got up and found Ron in the kitchen cooking something.

"Morning Beautiful." He said. "Or I should say, evening Beautiful."

"What are you cooking?" I asked, inhaling the wonderful smell of whatever it was. Ron laughed.

"Just heating the food up." Ron said. "Don't worry. I'll learn how to cook eventually." I laughed and hugged him. "So what are those boxes for?" Ron asked. "More baby gifts?"

"Actually those are the crib and stuff like that. I was hoping that you could put it together." I said, hoping that flashing him a smile would be enough to make him say OK.

"Me?" He asked incredulously.

"I thought about doing it by magic but that's not always the safest thing." I said.

"Mione, you do realize that you aren't even three months pregnant?" He asked me. I frowned.

"So." I protested, crossing my arms over my chest and pouting like a little girl. Ron chuckled.

"Fair argument." He said. "After dinner I'll work on it." I smiled and threw my arms around his neck.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, kissing him.

When we finished dinner I had Ron begin immediately with the fixing of the baby furniture. I sat at the dinning room table while he began reading directions on how to put this together.

"How about Marky?" I asked. "Little Marky?"

"No." Ron said. "But I still think we should consider Ronald Jr."

"I don't think that'll go over well. I mean, I'd say Ron, meaning him and you would think I meant you or I would say Ron meaning you and he would think I meant him. Its just way to confusing." I said, quickly. Ron got the confusing point.

"What about Faith?" He asked.

"Faith." I repeated. "That's pretty."

"That's the name of the new obituary lady." Ron said. "I thought you would like it."

"What?" I asked, unbelievably. "The obituary lady? You want to name our baby after the obituary lady?" Ron's face fell.

"Ok, never mind. How about Gavin?" Ron suggested.

"No." I said. "This baby doesn't feel like a Gavin?"

"Does it feel like a boy at all?" Ron asked, somewhat hopefully.

"I can't tell yet." I responded. "Just not a Gavin."

"But it's a Marky?" Ron questioned. He took a break from what looked like pretending that he knew what he was doing and looked at me.

"Maybe." I shrugged. "If you feel like it's a Marky too." Ron smiled at me.

"No." He decided, though. I laughed.

"Delaney?" I suggested. Ron gave me a look that just absolutely said, 'NO!'

"Kennedy?" Ron said. "For a girl."

"You know what? I actually like that one." I said, adding it to our list. It was a little surprising because Ron had only come up with one other girl's name that made it to the list. (Violet.)

"Or what about Sadie?" Never mind.

We played the name game for a while although we didn't add anymore to the list.

"You know?" Ron started. "This baby could grow up and take after me. Violet or Tyler could be the next editor of the Gazette. Addison or Daniel could travel to the Gazette locations, starting where I left off." He was smiling.

"Yeah." I said. "I could see that. You've created this paper that for generations to come our children's children are going to be working at." Ron smiled. He began thinking about that as I went back to the book, smiling myself.

Eventually Ron managed to get the crib up.

"Oh, look at that!" I exclaimed. "Ron, you're brilliant!" I went over to hug him but ask my hip brushed the crib it completely fell apart. Ron and I stared at it until I busted out in laughter.

"But, I–" He looked down at his hand where there were some screws. "Do you think I was supposed to use all of these?" He asked. I laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

"You can put it upstairs for now." I told him. "Harry and Ginny are coming to visit soon. Maybe the two of you can figure out a way to get it set up." Ron looked at me and smiled.

"Sounds like a plan." He said. He went to lift up the pieces of the crib to take upstairs.

"Hon." I said.

"Yeah?" Ron asked, struggling with the heavy pieces.

"You know you can use your wand for this, right?" I watched as Ron stopped for a minute.

"Oh." He said, dropping everything and taking his wand out of his pocket. The tips of his ears were turning red. I laughed while he made his way up the stairs and into the baby's room.

xxx

A week later, we were going out for the first time in weeks. It felt so nice to be getting out and going dancing with friends. (Ron had made it clear that I was only to drink water and we would leave as soon as I looked remotely tired.) It was Friday night and I was running a little late. I had just gotten my hair dried, curled and pulled back in a nice up do. My make-up was done and all that was left to do was put on the black skirt and light pink top.

"Be right there!" I yelled as I ran to the room. I took of my robe and pulled the top over my head. I went to put on the skirt but as I got to the zipper, I immediately became frustrated. I yanked it up but all that did was hurt me. No! This was one of my favorite skirts. After failing to fully zipper the skirt twice more, I began to cry. This was so not fair! I fell to the bed as tears fell down my cheeks. I could hear Ron letting Trey and Sasha in and I decided that I wasn't going to go out. This baby obviously didn't want me to have any fun and my make-up was ruined anyways. I decided that I would spend my Friday night sitting here and crying.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door.

"Hermione?" Sasha asked. She opened the door to find me crying. "What's wrong?" She asked, worriedly and rushed to my side.

"It doesn't fit!" I sobbed. "Nothing fits anymore!" Sasha looked a little relieved.

"Well, that's ridiculous." Sasha said. "You don't look like you got any bigger at all."

"But I did!" I protested. "And I'm just going to keep getting bigger and bigger!"

"That's supposed to be one of the joys of being pregnant." Sasha said. "You grow as the baby inside you grows."

"That doesn't help me find something to wear tonight." I said. I wasn't crying anymore but was still devistated.

"I'm sure there's something." Sasha said. She went to my closet. "And on Thursday after my morning class, I'll take you shopping. All of the maternity stores here in Paris have the chicest clothes." I smiled. It was really amazing to have good friends who were there for you.

"Ok." I agreed as Sasha handed me a red dress.

"It will make you stand out and the fabric's a little stretchy so it should fit." Sasha said.

Sasha left the room so I could change. The dress actually fit and I put on strappy red sandals with it. I spun around and looked in the mirror. It didn't look like I had gotten any bigger. My breasts had. That had been for a while now so I was used to it and it didn't prevent anything from fitting but soon…my stomach would start to grow and it could be seen. It hit me that this could be the last time I would be going out as someone who didn't appear pregnant.

Ron came to the door. "You ready hon?" He asked. I looked in the mirror once again. I might as well make the best out of my last time.

"Yeah." I said, smiling. "Let's go dance!" Ron smiled at me and took my hand.

"You look beautiful." He told me as we walked toward the door.

I smiled. I could imagine him telling me that throughout every month of this pregnancy no matter how much baby weight I gained.

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!!**


	12. Fatherly Notions

**a/n: So this is kind of a big chapter. Something very important happens. Let me know what you think about it and how everyone reacted. **

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

I change my ring tone for my cell phone frequently. And even put specific songs for specific people. However, I had not expected Here It Goes Again by Ok Go to go off just a few hours after I had fallen asleep. Quickly I picked up the phone and hurried out of the room so Ron wouldn't wake up. That was the most annoying sound in the world to hear at…wow it was two in the morning.

"Hello?" I asked, tiredly into the phone.

"Hermione?" Ginny responded on the other line.

"Gin, what are you doing?" I questioned, my voice lost it's tired quality. I had known it was her but the lack of desperation to tell me that something terrible happened made me realize that for no reason she was off Hogwarts grounds on a school night. "Are you crazy? You're supposed to be in your bed at Hogwarts right now, not leaving to talk to me? Is this that important that you couldn't wait until morning?"

"Just open your front door and I'll explain." Ginny said.

"What?" I exclaimed in a whisper so that Ron wouldn't wake up. Ginny repeated herself while I went to the front door. I unlocked it and pulled it open to find Ginny standing there with a backpack. "Ginny what's wrong?" Her face looked a little blotchy as if she had been crying but that had to have been a while ago. She stood there in a pair of jeans a white top and gray sweater.

"Hi." Ginny said, forcing a smile. She hugged me and her eyes trailed down to my stomach. My stomach was actually sticking out a little bit now. At thirteen weeks I actually looked pregnant like I felt. "Look at you!" She said, smiling. "That's my godchild in there." Ginny placed her hands on my stomach. She was not the only one who had gotten in the habit of doing that and it was quite annoying. I stepped back a little and placed my own hand over my small bump.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" I asked, sternly. Ginny hoisted her bag on her shoulder and pushed past me.

"Can I have a cup of tea first?" Ginny asked, making the living room the storage place for her bag. I nodded, deciding to give her that as we walked into the kitchen. Ginny picked up one of my pregnancy books off the table and started to skim it. Lately those have been scattered everywhere.

Without asking the question again, I went through the motions of making tea and didn't say a word until I placed the cup in front of her and took a sip from my own.

"What's wrong?" I asked again. "Are you in trouble?" She shook her head and didn't even touch her tea.

"I don't know what to do." Ginny said. I didn't push her. She seemed like she was trying to find the right words to say. "I got the letter today." She said, softly. "Dear Miss Weasley, I am sorry but we have read through your application and regret to inform you that you are not suited to work here…blah…blah…blah…" I recalled getting an excited phone call from Ginny about filling out her application and hopefully getting an interview a few weeks ago.

"Oh, wow Gin. I'm sorry." I said. I had no idea what else I should have said. We had all expected her to get the job.

"I was too." Ginny said. "…for the first hour." I looked at her strangely but she chose that moment to take a sip of her tea. "I got the letter this morning at breakfast. I didn't cry until I had my stuff packed and left the school while everyone else was in class. I got home, put my trunk away and cried and cried. Then I stopped crying. I didn't know what I was crying about." I watched Ginny oddly. She was staring into her tea as she spoke to me. "I thought that I wanted this job. It was Quidditch related and I loved Quidditch until I gave it up this year. Except for going to Harry's games a few times, I haven't even thought about Quidditch. I didn't miss it at all. I thought that that job at the Ministry would be everything I'd always wanted but today I get the letter saying that I'm not 'suited' for the job. And today I realized that I wasn't." She laughed and looked up. "Can you see me working there?" I didn't know if I was supposed to answer. "No." She didn't wait for an answer. "It's not what I want anymore, anyways."

"So you don't know what you're going to do now?" I asked. She was confusing me.

"I actually know exactly what I want to do." She said. "But I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it." Again, with the confusing! "How am I supposed to tell my parents? Harry? And how am I supposed to turn this idea into a career?"

"I need to get this straight." I said. "You got turned down for the job and decided that you never wanted it anyways – only thought you did?" Ginny nodded. "And you know what you want to do but I'm guessing that what you want to do is going to make your mum, dad and Harry flip?" Ginny nodded again.

"That's the only problem." She said.

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

"I thought of most of this on the way over here." She said. "The other parts, I need your help with." I nodded. "What I'm going to do for the next couple of months is continue writing my column for the Gazette but as soon as the seventh years graduate I am going to hand over my job to Vanessa who could do it just as well as I could. And I'm going to find a place where I will sell the dresses I make. I'm going to use my name as the title of the shop and it'll be the label on the dresses."

"Well that sounds like something that everyone would be proud of you for doing." I said. "You've got a plan for as soon as you graduate. I'm sure that your mum, your dad and Harry will be ok with that."

"But the thing is…I'm not going to go back to school and graduating." Ginny said. I froze and stared at Ginny in shock. How could she even be considering not graduating? Now that was crazy. "It's not because of Harry that I'm not going back, it's because my heart isn't into it. I don't need it anymore and I have a plan. But I'm going to need your help."

"But Gin, it's April. You graduate in June. You can't hold out for these next couple of months?" I asked. She shook her head. I had no idea what else I could say. Of course I was going to help and support her with what she wanted to do but I would still prefer it if she finished school. "Harry doesn't know you left school today?" I looked at her.

"No." She shook her head. "I left the house before he got home from work. I went to the bookshop and talked with Tonks for a while. She didn't think I should give up on school either but she said that I was an adult and entitled to make my own decisions. She suggested calling you and I decided I would after everyone went home. I sat at the bookshop for a couple of hours, reading about starting up a business and then I went to call Harry at eight like always. 'Mione, I lied to him and told him I was still at school. I finished the book, locked up the shop and then came here to talk to you."

"What did you plan on telling him when he goes to meet you tomorrow and you aren't there?" I asked.

"Hopefully, we'll have worked something out by then." Ginny said. I sighed.

"I have a class at eight thirty tomorrow morning and then I have an eleven and three o'clock class. We'll discuss this tomorrow in between those and figure out what you're going to do. I think you should be staying in school but it's not my decision." I said, standing up and putting the cups into the sink. My tone had taken on an aloof quality so that I would not express my true feelings about this, aloud.

"Thank you, Hermione." Ginny said, standing up and hugging me. "Thank you!"

"Come on, I'll set you up on the couch." I knew that getting rejected was hard but giving up school because of it? I supported her decision to stop writing her column and open her own dress boutique but I didn't think it was right that she was giving up what she had been working for since she left for school in September.

"The couch?" Ginny asked. "Won't Ron notice if I'm sleeping on your couch in the morning?" She asked.

"The guest room is now the baby's room." I said. "There's a whole bunch of stuff up there so there's no room. Tomorrow, you'll have to tell Ron too." I didn't look to her for a reaction because then I would feel bad and give in to going up there and cleaning it so she could sleep there but she had to face up to what she wanted to do eventually.

I put sheets and a comforter on the couch. I even got her a glass of water while she changed into her pajamas. She came back and lay down.

"Are you mad?" Ginny asked. I froze as I was getting ready to hit the light switch.

"No, Gin." I said. "I just don't want you to give up on a seven year education because it didn't work out."

"I'm not." She replied, sounding innocent and scared. "I'm not giving up, just moving on." In her voice I could hear how scared she was about doing this, to leave the last two months of safety she would have and throw herself into the real world where she was going to start up something that had a potential risk at failure. She definitely wasn't giving up, she was moving on…like she said.

I hit the light and started for my own room. "Night Gin." I said. "Love you."

"I love you too." She yawned. "Thanks for being there for me." She whispered before I left the living room.

I quietly tiptoed through the hallways and back into my own room where I plugged my cell phone into its charger and got back in bed. Ron's arms instinctively wrapped around me even though he was asleep. One of his hands rested on my expanded stomach and I placed one of my own over his before turning and falling asleep.

Ron stirred next to me less than a few hours later and I rolled over to face him, wondering if last night was just a weird dream. That was until I heard the shower go on and I noticed my closet door standing ajar.

"Who's in the shower?" Ron asked curiously as he sat up.

"Ron." I said, grabbing his arm before he could get out of bed. "Don't go overreacting now. …It's Ginny."

"What?" Ron asked, a little bit loudly that was the tone perhaps someone overacting would have. "When did she get here? Why is Ginny here on a Wednesday morning when she should be in school?" His face formed a worried look. "Is something wrong with her? Or Mum and Dad? Is Harry ok?"

"Remember how I said don't overreact?" I questioned. Ron just looked at me. "Everyone's fine." I said. Ron looked semi-relieved.

"Then what's wrong?"

"She got the letter yesterday morning about the Ministry job and she didn't get it." I answered. Ron looked upset for his sister.

"So she and Harry decided to come stay here because she didn't get the job?" Ron asked. He gave me a look that I couldn't lie to.

"No. Its just Ginny." I said, softly. I wanted to look away and shut up but I couldn't. "Harry doesn't know she's here." Ron's eyes went wide.

"Is she crazy?" He asked. "She can't just leave school for no reason in the middle of the week. And because she didn't get the job? No. Things like this can be sorted out reasonably."

"Ron, just listen to her." I said. We heard the shower go off and a few minutes later, the bathroom door opened. Ron looked at me.

"What's going on?" He asked, fully aware that something else was going on. Out in the hall I could hear Ginny coming closer. She seemed to have a note in her hand as she opened the bedroom door and saw us, awake.

"Oh." Ginny said, noticing Ron's face. "I was just going to go out for coffee." She said. She was dressed in a pale yellow top and…hey, that was my skirt! And that was the skirt that didn't fit anymore. "Anyone want any?" She started slowly backing away from the door.

"Gin, you're supposed to be in school right now, do you realize that?" Ron asked, acting big brotherly. Ginny stopped moving away.

"Why no, it hadn't occurred to me." Ginny said, sarcastically. Ron glared at her.

"I'm sorry about the job, I really am but you have to still go to school." Ron said, trying very hard to keep his voice calm. Ginny looked to me and I nodded reassuringly.

"I'm not going back." Ginny admitted. "Not today or not ever."

"What?" Ron asked. Ginny stood taller. She seemed to have gained more confidence as she spoke.

"I don't need to go to school anymore. I already talked about this with Hermione. I want to open up a dress boutique. _Ginerva Potter _or_ Ginny Potter_, I'm not sure. But that's what I want to do. I asked her for help with all of this." Ginny said.

Ron seemed to be thinking for a second. Ginny looked a little bit afraid. "I still have to tell mum and dad and Harry." Ginny said. "I just don't know how they're going to take it."

"But Gin, you could try for the job again. Maybe just start out as an intern and prove you're the perfect person for the job. There's a whole bunch of things you can do." Ron protested. Ginny shook her head.

"But I don't want to do them." Ginny said. "I want to do what's going to make me happy." Ron went silent again. He looked down and then looked back up at her.

"It's not my decision." He decided. "This is yours. Hermione can't help you tell mum, dad, and Harry. She can help you with the business if it isn't taking away from her own schoolwork and getting rest. Gin, if you want to do this I'll support you 100 percent but just know that it comes with a lot of responsibility." Ginny nodded.

"I know." She said. Ron went over and hugged her.

"Maybe Fred and George would be a little more understanding about this, but if it's what you want to do I support you." Ron said.

It was sweet to see that. Ron was acting…well he was acting almost fatherly. It was nice to see that. He then gave Ginny directions to go get herself some coffee while we got ready.

"Where did that come from?" I asked, amazed as he began making the bed.

"'Mione, I'm going to become a father soon. Think about it, in seventeen years our daughter comes to us and tells us that she wants to drop out of school because she wants to do something that would make her happy, what would you say?" Ron asked.

"I'd say 'get your ass back to school young lady and come see me when you graduate, then we'll talk!'" I protested. Ron chuckled.

"Well if she was this passionate about it like Ginny was and was giving up the last two months of school until she got the diploma she worked almost seven years for I'd tell her that I support her and I'd do whatever I could to help her." Ron said.

"Ron, honey, that is one of the sweetest things I've ever heard you say." I smiled at him and he smiled back. "But I don't care, she's still going to finish those last two months." Ron frowned.

"After that heartfelt speech you still wouldn't let her do what she wanted?" Ron asked.

"I'm all for her doing what she wants." I said. "I would just prefer her to do what she wants after she graduated. And you wouldn't even be thinking this if she were leaving school and living with her boyfriend while they planned to get married." I watched Ron frown.

"Hermione, that better be a boy in there because I could not handle a daughter." Ron said. "She'll be fifteen and dating some stupid Ravenclaw boy that she met at a dance and then when he breaks her poor heart she'll date someone in her own house and then her brother's best friend… No, it can't be a girl!" Ron looked horrified.

"Since when did our daughter turn into Ginny?" I asked.

"Even if she isn't you could teach her here and she won't ever have to leave." Ron smiled at the thought of his perfect plan. "She won't ever see another boy." I laughed out loud.

"We don't even know yet and it's not even going to be dating for at least another thirteen or fourteen years." I said, pulling the covers up. "And if it is a she then she may date whomever she pleases wherever she decides to go. As soon as she graduates she can fulfill whatever dreams she has."

"Not if I can help it." Ron protested. I laughed again.

As we both put the pillows back on the bed, my phone rang again. I could tell by the ring tone that it was Harry but I had a feeling that the next person to call would be him.

"Hello?" I asked into the phone as Ron watched. He knew too.

"Hermione, has Ginny called you?" Harry asked frantically.

"Harry, she's here. She got here at two in the morning." I responded. Harry yelled something on the other end.

"I was woken up by Luna calling and saying that Ginny went missing! I've been freaking out, went all the way down to Hogwarts to find that she's nowhere to be found. She won't answer her phone, I'm late for practice and I was terrified."

"She'll be home tonight." I promised. I felt bad.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"She'll tell you everything." I said. "Just give her some time." Harry protested on the other line but I told him goodbye and hung the phone up.

I looked up at Ron. "Ginny's got to do this." He assured me. I nodded and went to my closet to find something to wear. Ron was right. The only person who should be telling Harry was Ginny.

xxx

Around six o'clock Ginny and I arrived back at the apartment. I had gotten out of my last class almost an hour ago but Ginny insisted on hanging around to see Pansy.

"I do not believe that she has changed." Ginny protested. "I have to see it for myself." We didn't see Pansy. I actually hadn't spoken to her since my confession in the bathroom but occasionally when we passed each other in the library or on the way to class we would give each other a nod-type-hello-thing.

When we walked through the front door I had decided that I was going to change into sweats, have Ron cook the only meal he knew how to (macaroni and cheese), and go over Ginny's plan so far with her before we sent her back home. But then I heard laughter from upstairs and the sound of crib pieces hitting the floor. And then I heard Harry arguing with Ron about which parts go where. Sounds like there were other things planned for tonight.

"He's here!" Ginny exclaimed. "What am I supposed to say? I figured I could work that out on the way home."

"Tell him the truth." I said. "If Ron supported you, Harry should too." Ginny nodded and started whispering to herself as she followed me into the living room. I started up the stairs to the baby's room, feeling tired already. I opened the door to discover Harry and Ron sword fighting with the legs to the baby's crib.

"And that is the father of my child." I said with raised eyebrows.

"Hi!" Ron exclaimed. He pulled me in for a hug and then knelt down so he was eyelevel to my stomach. "How was school, kid?" He asked, sort of laughing to himself. I smiled as I watched him. "Don't worry. This is only temporary. Soon you won't have to follow your mother to classes all of the time…unless you want to. Since your mum loves school you probably will too. Unless your like me." He kissed my stomach and then stood up and kissed my lips. I noticed Harry was smiling as well.

"Charlie told me that he used to talk to Max all the time and now he's convinced that Max responds to his voice." Harry explained. "I told this to Ron and now Ron will be talking to your stomach for the next five months and however many weeks."

"Gee thanks." I said, joking around. Really it was touching how much Ron cared.

"Wow!" Harry said. "You've gotten–" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ron shaking his head. "Taller…since I've last seen you." Harry finished, unsurely. I laughed.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron asked to change the subject. I turned around to discover that she was no longer behind me.

"Downstairs." I answered.

"I better go talk to her." Harry said. He gave me a hug and headed downstairs. I shut the door and turned to the room. The guest bed was dismantled. The Chudley Cannons poster was on the wall and the stuffed animals were scattered around the room like someone was throwing them…

"Wow, you guys were working hard." I said sarcastically. "How long did it take you to do that five second job of taking the bed apart…and then playing stuffed animal catch and sword fighting?" Ron smiled innocently.

"About an hour." He said. I shook my head but laughed.

"Is it going to be up by the time we're ready to paint it?" I asked.

"Of course." Ron nodded. But then thought better of it. "Maybe…" I smiled and hugged him.

For the next fifteen minutes I read the directions to Ron while he tried to get the crib up. Finally it was done. There was still other furniture but we got one out of the way. And then we sat at the door (opened a crack), eavesdropping on Harry and Ginny's fight.

"Two months is eight weeks… it's fifty-six days… it's time that, to me, would be wasted. I could be doing something worth my time, instead of taking a stupid test that is not going to get me any further in dress designing!" Ginny yelled. She had said the same thing four times already but in three different ways.

"Exactly! That's only two months that you would have to be there until you could get out and then do what you want to do." Harry said. He had said the same thing four times and in the same way.

"Harry, you have to understand that this is not what I want. It might have been fine for you to go to school and then graduate before doing what you want but I don't want to wait. I want to make this happen now. If I don't do it now then I'm going to end up, stuck doing something that I don't want to do." That was something new. We didn't here any response from Harry so I pulled the door open a little more to see Harry standing there. Ron stuck his head out over mine.

"You really want to do this?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded.

"I found something that I'm really happy doing." She said. "Something that I'm thinking seriously enough about to make a living out of it."

"All right." Harry agreed. "All right. I want to help with whatever I can. And as soon as we get home tomorrow we'll start figuring out what we have to do."

"I've already started." Ginny said. "And I'd really love it if you'd help." We saw Harry wrap his arms around Ginny and then kiss her on top of her head. He whispered something that we couldn't here but if I had to guess I'd say it was 'I love you'. "How am I supposed to tell my parents?" Ginny asked.

"Chances are that they aren't going to take it well." Harry said. "Seeing as how your mum is still convinced Hermione will come to her senses and move in once the four months are up so that Ron would be there too…the chances of her accepting this are slim." I frowned as my name was mentioned. "What do you say that we get this set up and then we'll talk to them about it." Ginny smiled and threw herself into Harry's arms while Ron and I slowly backed up and closed the door.

"I think we should have waited and let the baby tell them in a couple years." Ron said. I smiled.

"I'm pretty sure that waiting to tell them something only applies to dropping out of school and starting a business up, not getting pregnant." I said. Ron smiled at me and leaned over to kiss me. Then he placed his hand on my stomach and smiled.

"I've been thinking…maybe if it's a girl…or even a boy he or she will go to Hogwarts and find his or her best friend like I found you and you found me." I smiled and kissed him again.

That was the father of my child.

**A/n: REVIEW PLEASE!! GOOD??? BAD??? LET ME KNOW PLEASE!!!!!!**


	13. Lilies and Butterflies

**a/n: AH, I have writer's block...again!!! I am stuck on chapter 16 and this is a crucial chapter, people. This is the chapter where we find out the real reason Ginny left school (as of now unless I have to change it because it doesn't work). I'm hoping that a change of scenery will help me write better so after _Scrubs_ tonight I am cleaning my room and moving my writing back in there. In the meantime does anyone have any ideas that could possibly help me get over writer's block? I'm desperate.**

**Thanks for the reviews!!!!  
I'm shooting for atleast ten more before I update with chapter fourteen...where they find out the baby's sex!!!! So hurry up and review please!!! Girl? Boy?, Boy? Girl?...we won't know until fourteen!!!!**

**Always,  
****Kylie (your very, very stuck writer ;)**

"And what about muggles?" Ginny asked Marty Hayes as he showed us around a small shop for sale. It was not as noticeable next to the giant clothing store to its right and large music store to its left. In fact, if a muggle looked they would probably assume the door went into one of the other shops, it just wasn't the main door. It was located a few streets away from Ginny and Harry's flat.

"It'll just be an employees only door into one of the other shops to them." Marty explained. This was the tenth place we've looked at in two weeks. So far this place was good but you never knew…

I started moving my legs a little bit because I was getting tired. It was a pretty place. Towards the back there were dressing rooms and a small platform in front of a three-way mirror. There were unused clothing racks and naked manikins throughout the rest of the store. In fact, all Ginny would most likely have to do would be to paint and move her stuff in.

"And is there a back office that I could use as my designing room?" Ginny asked. I sighed and fell onto a stool behind the counter. I crossed my legs and pulled my white sundress over my knees, wondering how much more patience Marty actually had.

"Designing room?" Marty asked.

"Well a place where I could sketch pictures of the dresses, hang the ideas on the wall and then sew them together. Do you know how fast a magic powered sewing machine works?" Ginny said. Marty shook his head. "Well it works fast so I'll need a space to store the dresses in the room where I can sketch and sew them."

"Oh designing room! Of course!" Marty led Ginny back to a doorway in the back of the shop. I stayed where I was. Last Thursday, last weekend, this Thursday, and today: Friday right after a long class I had dragged my pregnant self from Paris to London and searched for the perfect shop with Ginny. After the first five it wasn't so fun anymore. Today I was fifteen weeks…that was just about four months.

We had not spoken with either of the grandmother's although every week I would get a call from my father to check up and I could hear my mother listening on the other end and telling him what to ask and then we get a lot of letters from Arthur that sound as if Molly were writing them. They still cared…but still thought that they were right.

Ron had managed to get the baby furniture up and now we were just waiting on the knowledge of the baby's sex to figure out the color of the paint, curtains, and sheets. I couldn't wait to start buying stuff for that!

"It's perfect!" Ginny announced, coming back into the main room of the shop. Finally! "This is it! Hermione, you should have seen the designing room. It's perfect!" Ginny said, smiling fully. "Where do I sign?" She turned back to Marty.

As Ginny signed she was still smiling and talking to me about her ideas for the place. The signature was on the paper. Everything was all set this place was _Ginny Potter_ now. Marty gathered his things and left. I wasn't sure if it was my imagination but I could have sworn I saw him looked relived when all of the papers were complete.

"Now," Ginny started as she turned around and looked at the shop, her shop. She handed me a notepad and pen. "We're going to need some things so keep track." She instructed. I nodded. "The walls will be beige and everything else in this boutique will have rose pink and violet purple accents. The curtains on the dressing rooms will be violet and the cushions of the waiting seats and in the dressing rooms will be rose. On the walls I want at least two lilies painted on each wall and vases of lilies placed throughout the place…that's for Harry. Then we'll go back to my place and get the designs I have so far and the six dresses I made yesterday. We'll dress the manikins and I'll work on getting the fabric for the rest of the dresses I have to make before I can open in two weeks." Wow, she seemed to have this all planned. "What do you think?" She turned and asked me hopefully.

"I think that this is going to be one hell of a successful place." I said. Ginny smiled and came over and hugged me.

x

"What color do you think I should make my goddaughter's first dress?" Ginny asked me as we headed out of the shop and on our way to go get furniture for the dressing room along with curtains.

"How do you know it's a girl?" I asked.

"It has to be." Ginny said. "I only have one other niece so it _has_ to be a girl."

"Harry is sure it's a boy." I said.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about." Ginny assured me. "And did Ron like the name?"

"Yes, he did. But he also like Xavier that Harry suggested." I responded. I had added Kaia to the list after Ginny suggested it and Xavier after Harry suggested it. So far we had a ten name long list for each gender and no idea what name we wanted to use.

"I think she'll like light blue." Ginny said. "And if she doesn't then I'll make her a new one." I laughed.

"Don't waste fabric until we know for sure it's a she." I said. Ginny rolled her eyes and explained the idea of the baby's dress to me.

xxx

About two hours later _Ginny Potter_ was looking like an amazing place to buy dresses although Ginny thought that something was missing from the walls. Manikins were set up throughout the store with Ginny's dresses on them. The curtains were hung in front of the doors and there was a small stool in each of the dressing rooms and the walls were beige. At the moment Ginny was working on painting the lilies on the walls while I lay on the couch outside of the dressing rooms. I was staring up at the ceiling with my hands resting on top of my extended stomach.

I was excited for Ginny but tired as well. With my hands on my stomach I shut my eyes, picturing the image of my baby projected onto a screen and the sound of its heartbeat that I heard last week at the Healer's. (Ron never looked more happy or proud than when he heard it.)

When I woke up and checked the time on the clock Ginny hung up over the front counter, I noticed it was almost six-thirty. Ron should be on his way over. I heard the sound of a sewing machine going rapidly and followed the sound until I got to Ginny's "designing room".

With a cup of what looked like tea (which was unusual because she had always drunk coffee with caffeine?) by her side, Ginny was working full speed at making the dresses that I saw in sketches on her wall. Behind her was a rack of dresses already that ranged from simple sundresses to cocktail dresses and even some wedding dresses. That sewing machine really did work fast and the way the Ginny looked focused on what she was doing, moving her fingers along as she worked on the embroidery of the dress. She was a natural at this.

"Hey!" Ginny said, happily. She never took her eyes off the dress. "Harry said that he was going to come over with Ron as soon as Ron got here and then Neville and Luna will be here within the hour." I nodded, tiredly.

"I'm just going to run out quickly and I'll be back in fifteen minutes." I said.

"Ok." Ginny said. She continued to work on the dress while I grabbed my purse and headed out into London. I wanted to pick up something for her as a congratulations present but I didn't know exactly what yet. So I decided to stop off and get a bottle of champagne and sparkling cider for a little celebrating when everyone got there. I walked into the liquor store and wandered around the isles until I found sparkling cider, then I went to pick out champagne. I reached my hand out to grab the bottle but I heard my name being called. I turned around to find Seamus Finnegan standing there. This would be the first time we've spoken since we graduated but it was nice to see old friends and like I've said before, we've all grown since we graduated almost a year ago.

"Hi!" I said. "How are you?"

"I'm good." Seamus said. "I'm working for the Ministry now. I'm just a temp, filling in where I can but I'm hoping to get moved up."

"That's great!" I smiled.

"I heard you got married to Ron." He said.

"Yes, we got married a little over five months ago." I said, nodding with a smile. I suddenly felt self-conscious about my pregnant belly that wasn't as obvious with the dress I was wearing but it was still there. "And we moved to Paris." I said.

"Yeah, I heard about the International Gazette. Ron must be happy."

"He is." I nodded, praying for this awkward conversation to end so I could get out of there without him knowing I was pregnant. Suddenly Lavender was by his side with her arm wrapped around his. She seemed to be a little angry with Seamus. I noticed her looking from his eyes to me. "Hello Lavender." I said as politely as I could. I wished that it didn't look so obvious I was pregnant. This was more difficult than trying to talk to Pansy.

"Hi." Lavender said, unfriendly. "Did you hear that Seamus and I got engaged?"

"No, congratulations." I said. This was so hard. _I got married…and pregnant,_ I thought about adding but held my tongue.

"Well, you know it was really great to see you both but I better get going." I said.

"Tell Ron I said hi." Seamus said. I nodded and turned to go, balancing two bottles and my purse but my purse fell. That was the only thing that was remotely covering my stomach and they both looked down.

"Oh, wow." Lavender said without hiding her surprise that I was pregnant.

"Thanks." I said to Seamus who picked up my purse but was staring awkwardly at me. I turned to go and hurried with my purchases before exiting the store and taking a long deep breath. That was one of those awkward things that happened when I came back to England once in a while. Marty looked surprised when he saw me, and even Hagrid who had just recently found out.

I was walking along the street when I saw something in the window that made me realize what was missing from Ginny's walls. I quickly hurried in the shop to purchase these items.

As I walked back to _Ginny Potter_ I had the shrunken bags in my hand that were less cumbersome to carry. When I arrived I noticed that no one was here yet so I took the initiative to hang up what I got Ginny. After returning them to normal size I pulled out a large frame the same white that the lilies were painted but it also had rose and violet accents on it. Inside of the frame would be a picture of someone wearing a Ginny Potter dress. And then there were a few more that had the same use. Then the pictures that were taken could also be used on the advertisement for it. I hung up the picture-less frames and hoped that Ginny would like them.

When Ginny heard me come in she came out into the main room of the shop. She stared in happy surprise at the frames on the wall. I explained their purpose and she loved them!

"Hello? Is this the right address for _Ginny Potter_?" Harry's voice asked. Ginny and I turned around to see Ron and Harry coming through the door. Ginny ran at Harry and jumped into his arms.

"You know, I would but I don't know if you could catch me." I said, jokingly to Ron as he came to give me a kiss. I placed a hand over my stomach. Ron frowned.

"You look great today." He said, planting a kiss on my forehead. I had to choke back a laugh. The books constantly say that the daddy-to-be should always complement the mommy-to-be when she was feeling self-conscious. Ron was terrified of me getting angry with him for saying the wrong thing.

"Guess who I ran into today?" I asked. "I'll give you a hint…Seamus and Lavender!"

"What?" Ron asked surprised.

"In the liquor store." I said.

"Did you hit her?" Harry asked. "Or was it one of your _pleasant _conversations because you've _grown up_ now?" I rolled my eyes.

"Why can you never let the little things go?" I asked Harry. "It was ages ago that I slapped Pansy and nearly rung Lavender's neck. Do you honestly want me to get into a fight?" Harry laughed as I put my fists up.

"You think you can take me?" Harry asked.

"Yep." I said, laughing.

"There will be no fighting in Ginny's new boutique-thingy, especially when one of you is pregnant so until either one of you can calm down you have to go to separate corners of the room." Ron said. Harry and I erupted in laughter while Ginny just chuckled, looking oddly uncomfortable.

"Where did that come from?" Ginny asked.

"Hey!" Ron protested. "I've got a baby on the way. This father stuff has to be learned before October." I laughed and hugged Ron. Harry went over to Ginny and placed his arm around her. They seemed like they had something to say but the door opened again. Neville and Luna came through the door. They complemented Ginny on the place while I got the champagne out for toasting. I conjured glasses and poured everyone some while Ron poured sparkling cider for the Ginny, Luna and I (they claimed they didn't want me to feel left out). We all said a little something to toast to Ginny's new shop and then when conversation picked up, I fell onto the couch again, tired out from my day. Ron came and sat next to me while Ginny talked to Neville, Harry, and Luna about here dresses.

"How are you feeling?" Ron asked, placing a hand on my leg.

"Eh." I answered. "I've been less tired…although I can't remember that far back." I smiled trying to lighten the mood. "Oh!" Suddenly my hands flew to my stomach as I stood up.

"What's wrong?" Ron yelled, standing up as well. Everyone rushed over when they heard Ron freak out and saw me standing, clutching my stomach. "Is it the baby? Do we have to go to the hospital?" I started laughing which probably wasn't good because Ron looked at me like I was delirious. "What is it?"

"I can feel it." I said. "I can feel that baby in there. It feels like butterflies." I laughed again and wrapped my arms around my stomach. "…it feels wonderful." I smiled. Ron forgot his sudden worry and smiled.

"You can feel the baby?" He asked. I nodded.

"It's in there and it feels like butterflies." Ron smiled and placed a hand on my stomach. He and I both knew that he couldn't feel it like I could but he still wanted to be a part of this.

"Butterflies." Ginny said happily, crossing her arms over her own stomach. "Butterflies are a sign it's a girl."

"What would it be if it were a boy?" Harry questioned. "Broomsticks? No, it's just the feeling, like when you're nervous you've got butterflies."

"But better." I said, still smiling as Ron wrapped his arms around me.

"We started trying!" Luna announced suddenly. She placed a hand on her stomach. "I can't wait to feel that." Neville smiled down at her. Ginny looked semi-surprised by Luna's confession. Her eyes seemed to well up but I guess she was happy for us.

I leaned over and kissed Ron. This was the most amazing thing that happened so far. It felt as if my stomach were turning because I was nervous…like "butterflies" but it was my baby. That was the amazing thing.

**a/n REVIEW PLEASE!!!!! **


	14. It's a ?

**AN: Hello faithful readers and reviewers!!! First off, I would like to say thank you to all my reviewers and everyone who has stuck with me through all of these stories. And thank you to the people who have just recently got into them. A lot of you have said it takes a long time to read em' all so thanks for not being bored with me. **

**Any guesses of what Ginny's problem is? If it isn't clear in thirteen or fourteen, fifteen should make it more clear and sixteen will completely clear it up!!!**

**Well here it goes. It's a...**

**Always,  
Kylie**

At eighteen weeks I felt the baby kick for the first time. It actually woke me up in the middle of the night, the night before we were supposed to find out the baby's sex.

"Ron, wake-up!" I exclaimed, shaking him with one hand while the other was pressed over a certain part of my stomach. I could feel the slight pressure on it.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Ron jolted awake and turned the light on. Every time he got woken up in the middle of the night he was always worried…come to think of it, he was always worried when I held my stomach and called him.

"The baby's kicking!" I announced.

"What?" Ron asked excitedly. This was the first time he would be able to feel the baby's movement.

"Put your hand right here." I said, taking his hand and placing it over the area where our child was kicking.

"I can feel it!" He exclaimed. "Wow, it's really kicking!"

"I know!" I said. "I can't believe it! And tomorrow we'll know if it's a girl or a boy." Ron smiled. The baby continued to kick so Ron kept his hand there. "Do you hope it's a boy or a girl?" I couldn't help but ask.

"It doesn't matter." Ron said. "I'll love him no matter what."

"You just said him." I pointed out.

"I'll love him _or her_ no matter what." Ron corrected.

"No, you said him." I said. "What if it's a girl?"

"'Mione, I meant him _or_ her. Honestly it doesn't bother me either way. If it's a girl, she'll be as beautiful as you but play Quidditch and take over the family paper. And if it's a boy he'll look just like me but play Quidditch and take over the family paper. I just can't wait to have a family. You, me, Midnight, and our son or daughter." I smiled.

"Ron, that's so sweet." I leaned forward and kissed him. "Oh, he finally stopped kicking." I said. "I mean she…I mean it." Ron looked at me oddly while I babbled.

"I think you need some sleep." Ron said. "Tomorrow we finally won't have to call it an it any more." Ron kissed me and leaned back in bed, shutting the light off. "Love you." He said. "Both of you."

"You too." I leaned back on my pillow with my hands on my stomach. He…or she…or it…whichever had finally stopped kicking but there was no way I was going to be able to fall back asleep. Ron wasn't worried about finding out the sex of the baby…I was.

After I heard Ron's snoring, I quietly pulled myself out of bed and slipped on slippers. My stomach was continuously growing. I had one thing on one day and then a week later it would start to feel tight on me. I had finally got back to only eating healthy food and walking more to prevent the weight gain but no matter what as the baby grew I grew.

I went into the living room where I sat down on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket. I hit the power button on the remote and Midnight, who I had woken up, jumped on my lap. I stroked Midnight's fur and searched through the channels for a movie to watch.

What was wrong with me? If it wasn't one thing one week, something else went wrong the next. This week it was finding out the baby's sex. I didn't necessarily have a preference on whether it was a boy or a girl but I knew that if I found out it was a boy I would be disappointed and if I found out it was a girl I'd be disappointed.

Let me explain…

In my head I had a vision of what our lives would be like if we had a boy. Little (well I haven't decided on one specific name yet) would have Ron's red hair but my brown eyes. He would be the most adorable thing in the whole world and slowly change from cute to handsome as he grew. He'd grow up, playing Quidditch as the Keeper and then when he got to Hogwarts he would be top in his classes and eventually become Prefect, and Head Boy but win the Quidditch Cup too. And they would sing Weasley is Our King (Gryffindor version) while they all congratulated him. He would have two really great best friends and eventually he would get married and have grandchildren that I would be happy to have (even if by chance it happened when he was nineteen). He would always come to me for anything. Loosing this dream of my son would upset me.

But if I had a girl she would be a little princess with locks the same ginger color as her Aunt Ginny's but naturally curly like mine and bright blue eyes like her daddy. I could dress her in all these adorable baby girl clothes and she would be her daddy's little girl. When she went off to Hogwarts she would be the first, first year girl to make Keeper and she would be her teacher's favorite student. She would find two best friends that were in Gryffindor as well and they would be her best friends for life even though they'd be two boys who at sometimes didn't understand her. She'd be Head Girl, fall in love and get married to a wonderful guy who Ron approved of and he would cry as he gave her away at her wedding but then she'd come back from her honeymoon and continue working at the Gazette, learning from her father so we wouldn't really loose her. But she'd always come to me when she needed help or advice. Loosing this dream of my daughter would upset me.

I didn't prefer it either way…in fact I was as indecisive as they came. Whichever one it was tomorrow (or today since it was now past midnight) would make me happy because I could finally pick a name and a room color but all the same I would still be sad because one way or another one dream was going to vanish. I would either have the adorable little boy and not the perfect little girl or the perfect little girl and not the adorable little boy. In a way that was disappointing.

I sat up a little as the baby kicked again. I smiled although the problem was still bothering me. Boy or girl… It was like choosing between two things you really wanted. You close your eyes, hoping the healer will say it's a boy but then again you want it to be a girl…

I didn't want to be disappointed in what was supposed to be some of the happiest news I would ever receive.

The next morning I was awoken by Ron's voice.

"You slept out here?" He asked. He was already showered and halfway dressed. He seemed pretty eager to find out the sex.

"It kept kicking." I said. "I didn't want to wake you." I smiled, to cover up my lie. Why did I start this again?

"You should have." Ron said. He sat down on the couch next to me. "I wanted to feel it again." He put his hands on my stomach but the baby was still sleeping. "Good morning." He said, speaking to my stomach. I sat back while he did this. It usually took a while. Ron narrated to the baby the whole day we had planned and how we were going to come up with a name for it soon. He also mentioned that I, "mummy", was going to be painting its room. He went into detail about the colors.

Mum. Mummy. Mother. Other worries had been scaring the hell out of me since I had gotten bigger and people have been using those terms on me. Was some kid really going to be calling me mum? Could I actually be someone's mummy? What the hell did I know about being a mother? For weeks I had devoured books on motherhood but afterwards I felt like I knew nothing except how to feed, burp, hold and change a baby. I had no idea how to be in the same room as my baby and fully grasp the fact that this was mine to take care of and love and raise and...

I was terrified.

Ron went to find something for breakfast while I showered and dressed the white skirt that I had worn before I started showing (I had stretched the elastic with a spell) and a light blue top. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and then looked in the mirror. I was self-conscious of my bump. I was almost five months pregnant and it wasn't that big but it was there. Daily, I worried that I would never return to my old size.

"Ready to go, beautiful?" Ron asked, catching me staring at my belly in the mirror.

"All set." I answered, forcing a smile.

The entire ride there on the Chunnel, I was fidgety. I was extremely nervous about this. Ron, however, took this as excitement.

"Excited too?" Ron asked, grabbing my hand. I smiled and nodded. "Can you imagine?" Ron asked. "In four more months we're going to have a baby? Man, I'm going to be a dad!" Ron ran hands through his hair as he realized this again. He looked nervous.

"Relax. You'll do fine." I assured him. I leaned over to kiss him for extra assurance. After all, it was me who wasn't ready for this. Ron had been talking to the baby, thinking about making decisions as if he were already a father, and reprimanding Harry and I for fighting. He was the one who was most prepared…I wasn't.

The baby kicked again.

"Ron it's kicking!" I said, taking his hand and pressed it to my belly. His face lit up.

"You know what this means?" Ron asked. I shook my head. "Your dad and I are going to have to teach him or her how to play football." **(a/n:soccer for the non English) **I smiled at him and rested my head against his shoulder. By the end of the day we would actually know whether it was a him or a her…but did I really want to know?

xxx

I think by the time we got to the waiting room of the Healer's office, Ron noticed that it wasn't excitement anymore. I kept babbling about it being a girl or a boy and then when I thought about it too much I had to excuse myself to the bathroom so he wouldn't see me cry. I blamed it on hormones when he asked.

"Hermione, Healer Statham is ready for you." Heather, the receptionist, said. I meekly smiled as Ron and I got up.

In the office I situated myself in the nightgown and the chair. I laid my head back and looked up at the ceiling. Ron's head was tilted and he was looking at the diagrams on the wall.

"I don't think I can be a good mother." I admitted, quietly. Ron turned and looked at me but Healer Statham came in before he could say something.

"Hello, Hermione and Ron. How are we today? How is the little one in there?" Healer Statham asked, cheerfully as Ron looked at me in confusion.

"It kicked." I announced, faking the same cheery attitude. I avoided looking at Ron as Healer Statham went through the routine questioning and examining.

Finally, Healer Statham left us alone in the room again while she went to go grab some files. Ron looked at me oddly.

"Hermione, how could you say that?" He asked. "Out of anybody you're the mothering type."

"But what if I'm disappointed when we find out?" I asked.

"Why would you be disappointed?" Ron asked. "Whichever it is, this is our child." I forced a smile.

"Yeah, you're right." I said although I don't think I convinced him.

"So it says here that you want to know that sex of the baby?" Healer Statham asked as she came back into the room, interrupting the conversation again. She grabbed a potion bottle from a cabinet and turned to Ron and I.

"Yes, we do." I nodded. I was full of anxiety. I wanted to know…but I didn't. I wanted to get it out of the way and the wait was killing me. I wanted her to say boy but then again I wanted her to say girl. Boy…girl…boy…girl?

"Congratulation–" Healer Statham started.

"Wait!" Ron interrupted.

"What?" I asked impatiently.

"Do you think we could have a moment alone first?" Ron asked Healer Statham. She nodded.

"Of course, just let me know when you're ready." She exited the room.

"Hermione." Ron started, coming over and taking my hand. "What do you mean disappointed?" I looked down at my stomach.

"I want a boy." I said. "But I also want a girl. If we get one, then we don't have the other." Ron lifted my head up so I was looking at him through teary eyes; he kissed me.

"First off, you are not a bad mother because you want both, it's normal and secondly which ever one we don't get this time, we'll try for next time." Ron said. I smiled at him. That was fair and reasonable; I almost laughed realizing the big deal I had made over it. The thing that was worrying me the most was being a mother. The whole boy/girl situation was just a distraction from it.

"How do you know I'm the mothering type?" I asked, referring to his statement before.

"Because you mothered Harry and I to death when we were younger." Ron laughed. "That's what makes me sure that I can be a good father, you'll be there to help and show me how to do things." I smiled again.

"But I don't know how to be someone's mum. I'm scared." I admitted as the smile faded.

"So am I." Ron answered. This surprised me because for the most part (after the intial shock) he had been calm about it.

"No you're not. You've been excited for weeks." I protested.

"I've been excited too." Ron said. "I can't wait to watch this kid grow up and teach it things but what will I do if it cries, what's going to happen when I have to take care of it and you aren't there, is it going to like me, what if it resents me because I'm too overprotective?" I hadn't realized how worried Ron was. We both were.

I squeezed his hand now.

"You know what Fred and George said to me when I was afraid to hold a baby?" I asked. Ron shook his head, looking at me with sad eyes. "They said, 'it all comes from experience'." I said. "I think that by the time we hold him or her for the first time, these worries are going to fade away. It'll be our child so we'll learn how to take care of it." Ron smiled.

Healer Statham knocked and opened the door a crack. "Ready?" She asked. Ron and I looked at each other. He gave my hand a squeeze. I smiled at him.

"Yeah, we're ready." I said. "And we do want to know." Healer Statham entered with a huge smile on her face. She paused for a second for dramatic effect.

"Congratulations Mum and Dad, you're having a girl!" She announced. She began applying a blue/pink potion to my stomach and waved her wand over it as the image of my baby appeared, projected onto a screen. The blue/pink potion was starting to turn completely pink.

She called me mum and I felt like one. I was having a baby…a baby girl. In four months I would be mother to a daughter. I began crying again (happy tears of course) as I turned to look at Ron. He was smiling happily as he looked at the image of our daughter. She had gotten bigger. She was beautiful.

"Look, 'Mione. That's our daughter. That's our baby girl." Ron said. A tear fell down his cheek as he held my hand.

"It is." I said, crying. "That's her." Ron looked down at me and kissed my forehead. I loved him more than anything in that moment. I loved our daughter more than anything in that moment. In that moment, I couldn't wait for us to be a family.

After leaving the Healer's office we were ecstatic (like Ron said we'd be), as we headed to _Ginny Potter_ where we knew the godparents of our daughter were.

"Hello?" I called. We heard some scurrying from the back room and immediately the worst came to mind. Ron shifted uncomfortably next to me and I knew he was trying not to say anything. Harry and Ginny came out of the back room and Ginny looked happy. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Our daughter is never leaving the house. I don't trust any of those boys because they're exactly like Harry." He whispered into my ear. I stifled a giggle.

"Tell me, it's a girl." Ginny said. She brandished a light blue dress that looked adorable and tiny. That was for my daughter!

"What is it?" Harry asked, eagerly. Ron and I looked at each other, smiling.

"We actually decided we didn't want to know." I said.

"We'd rather wait for the surprise." Ron added, wrapping his arm around me. Harry and Ginny frowned.

"You guys suck!" Ginny said turning around angrily.

"Ginny Weasley, don't you dare speak like that in front of your unborn niece. She can hear you in there." Ron said, sternly. He and I smiled while Ginny went nuts.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed. She ran over and threw her arms around us. "It had to be!" She exclaimed. "It's a girl!"

We looked over at Harry who was beaming. "I'm going to show her how to play Quidditch and she and ou–all of her cousins can have matches while I'm the coach!" Harry announced. Ron and I laughed. Both of our baby's godparents were extremely happy. They even insisted that we spend the night in London where they took us out to dinner and Harry purchased a mini Quidditch uniform for our daughter.

A girl! We were having a daughter! I couldn't have been happier. It would have been ok if it were a boy but like Ron said, we'd try for him next time… which was going to be several years in the future (the kicking was cute at first but when it interrupted the very few hours of sleep that I get it stopped being cute). For now we would start a family with our daughter who was coming into this world on October 26th.

**What'd ya think? Please review!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	15. Grand Opening

**a/n: I have finally got past chapter sixteen!! I finished that one yesterday and then seventeen today! Eighteen will be in progress tomorrow!!! **

**Some of you have made guesses on what could be going on with Ginny and... well you'll find out as soon as I get ten reviews for this chapter!!**

**Well, enjoy!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

At twenty-one weeks Ron and I had narrowed down the names for our daughter. We managed to take one off the list every other day. Now we were left with:

_Kaia_

_Addison_

_Violet_

_Mireille_

I couldn't wait for my daughter to have a name. It was exciting to think that in less than four months Kaia or Addison or Violet or Mireille would be here, an actual little person. Each day brought more excitement and anticipation for my daughter to arrive. Immediately after getting home when we found out it was a girl I got to work on her room. The walls were light purple with white daisies stenciled in around the border. The sheets on her crib were white and there was a tiny purple quilt. Her stuffed animals were set up and all the other gifts family had sent were in her room.

We shared the news quickly. Fred and George were excited to have another niece that they had to look out for and pass jokes along too, Bill and Fleur were excited for Cecilia to have a girl cousin, and Sasha said she'd help shop for the baby and teach her about law while Trey said that he'd make sure she was educated on all of the wizard and muggle games she needed to know about. Even our father's knew. Arthur had sent us back a joyful letter (that sounded like it actually came from him) saying that he couldn't wait for his granddaughter to come and she would be in a loving home with loving parents who would take care of her well. (We were happy that he finally believed in us.) My father was elated when we told him that he was going to have a granddaughter. He kept saying he was going to take her fishing and teach her all this stuff…things he taught me. I liked thinking that my father would be able to teach my daughter what he taught me.

Ron and I assumed that our mother's now knew. It had been three months since they had arrived in Paris and told us that we were going to be inadequate parents. I tried not to think about it like that. Ron said they were scared for us and wanted to feel like they had control in the situation. I think that if they really cared, by now they would have said something.

On Sunday, Ron and I met Trey and Sasha for lunch at this little restaurant on _Ruelle Cachée_. We were seated at a table outside with menus that changed languages depending on the wizard reading it. It was the last Sunday in May and the sun was shining brightly down on us, as we were all in summer attire. I had on a white sundress with flip-flops (my feet had actually stopped fitting into my good high-heeled sandals.) I loved the sun. I wondered if my daughter would love the summer weather as much as I did. Maybe we'd take a trip to the beach after she was born where she could really experience it.

"So what names do you have?" Sasha asked, eagerly after we placed our orders. Ron repeated the list and stopped when he got to the last one. He turned to me.

"I don't think our daughter is a Mireille." He said. I thought about it and couldn't really imagine calling her Mir for short or even Mireille for long. It was a nice name but my daughter's name definitely wasn't Mireille.

"Ok, so we're left with Kaia, Addison, and Violet." I said.

"I like them all." Sasha said. "Sorry, I'm no help."

"That's all right." I said. "We might just end up calling her Kaia Addison Violet Weasley." I smiled, jokingly.

"Hey, that works." Trey joked.

We joked about the baby name for a while and then got into a discussion about the Gazette.

"Where's the next location going to be?" I asked.

"Jacques isn't sure." Ron answered.

"Although he thinks that going to the states next would be a smart move." Trey said.

"But that means we'll be there for at least two years because we'd be setting one up on the west coast and east coast." Ron said. "And that would be taking on the hardest first."

"I think that California and New York are two key locations. If we do them both in a year then we're out of there and can go on to the one in Rome." Trey said. Ron nodded in agreement.

"It's possible but we'd have to be there a lot." Ron said. "Unless half the team went to New York and the other half California."

"That could speed up production." Trey agreed.

I loved watching Ron talk about his work at the Gazette. I knew that he was brilliant but watching him have a very in-depth conversation about it, always made me realize how serious and brilliant he could be.

When lunch was over Trey and Sasha went their separate way while Ron and I decided to walk around _Ruelle Cachée _a little. We were headed toward the place where we heard a daycare was, just to check it out, when we ran into someone coming out of the ice cream shop.

I hadn't seen Draco Malfoy since graduation. I'd heard about him from Pansy but this would be the first time I'd seen him. He was holding his daughter to him and Ella looked as if she were sleeping. (It was weird to see Malfoy looking remotely affectionate towards anyone.) Pansy was next to him, pushing the empty stroller. They didn't look at all like the two Slytherins that we went to school with. But who was I to talk. I was over five months pregnant…not exactly the same figure I had in school. I looked at Ron; he looked just as surprised as I was. Pansy and I acknowledged each other with our usual head nod while Malfoy and Ron pretended like they weren't interested in what was going on with the other but Malfoy was looking at my stomach and Ron was looking at the baby in Malfoy's arms.

"Did you see Malfoy? He had a kid." Ron noted, surprised after we had passed them.

"Yes and soon we will too." I said, laughing and rolling my eyes.

"But this is Malfoy. That little girl is going to call him dad and she looked too little and innocent to be a Malfoy/future Slytherin." Ron protested. I laughed and laced my fingers through Ron's. I decided not to answer him. I had nothing to say about it either because seeing Malfoy as a dad was incredibly weird.

xxx

Ginny's boutique was opening the first Saturday in June, two weeks after my finals. Ron and I promised that we would be there. She had developed an ad that went in the Gazette, and was sent out to homes so that people knew that if you bought a dress on the opening day you would receive a twenty percent discount. Ginny had hired Fleur who had been out of work since the birth of her twins to help out as well as two other women (they had been in my year at school one was Hufflepuff and the other was Ravenclaw).

Molly and Arthur knew about Ginny dropping out of school. It had happened when Molly wrote Dumbledore, asking why she didn't get an invitation to the graduation ceremony. With Dumbledore's letter, she found out. And then Ginny and Harry came clean when Molly and Arthur showed up at their flat. Molly yelled at Ginny while Ginny defended herself. Arthur didn't have a particular stance on the issue but he didn't get to get a word in. Ginny was upset but she had expected that reaction. Fred and George told her that Molly was going to have to get used to the idea first. They said that she didn't talk to them for nearly a month after they left school abruptly.

Ron and I walked into _Ginny Potter_ around noon, barely able to move because the place was filled with women who were buying the beautiful dresses that Ginny made. I spotted Parvati as we were making our way to the front. Ron managed to slip away but I was stuck.

"Hermione, this place is amazing!" She said. She didn't seem fazed by my large belly that was not possible to hide any more. I'm assuming that Lavender told her. "Did Ginny really design and make all of these? They're gorgeous!"

"Yes. She's very talented when it comes to this." I said. Parvati leaned closer to me.

"Did she really marry Harry?" She whispered. "Some people are saying she's just using his name to attract attention to this place." I raised my eyebrows at her and tried not to say something rude.

"They're getting married in August." I said stiffly. "She used his name because for the rest of her life she will be Ginny Potter." I wanted to hit her so bad! But I couldn't. I needed to practice setting an example for my daughter and plus I had already promised Harry I had grown out of that.

"Oh, ok." Parvati said, smiling. "But you got married." She said. "And you're having a baby." I smiled now; I love boasting about my daughter.

"Yes, Ron and I got married in December and we're expecting our daughter in October." I smiled, proudly resting a hand on my stomach.

"You're not the only one." Parvati said, lowering her voice again. "I hear Pansy Parkinson just had a kid with Malfoy. No one knows where they are now but my cousin works at the pediatrician's office where she goes. And you don't know how many people are getting married that we went to school with. Lavender and Seamus of course and I'm their maid of honor. But I hear that Zacharis Smith and Susan Bones are getting married, someone says Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot, and," she lowered her voice even more, "I have it on good authority that Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood eloped." I frowned at her. Where did she hear all this gossip? And why would she assume I would even care? I'd seen Pansy and felt that she shouldn't be gossiped about just because she had a kid at a young age (I was having one too). And of course I knew about those weddings. Ron and I had received an invitation to Ernie and Hannah's wedding on August 8th, and then one to Zacharis and Susan's wedding on September 12th. We had known about Neville and Luna since after it happened. We knew those people she was gossiping about. "Who knows how many of them are going to start having kids." She said, shaking her head. "Dean and I have decided to take things slow." She informed me looking at my left hand that was resting on my stomach. Was that envy on her face as she looked at my rings and pregnant belly?

"Good for you." I said. I wasn't even trying to be polite anymore. "Excuse me, I have to go talk to Ginny but Parvati, it was really great catching up with you." It sounded completely sarcastic but I don't think she noticed. I faked a smile and turned to go. I missed being in Paris, where I very rarely saw anyone I had gone to school with (except for the occasional awkward run-in with the Malfoys).

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed when she saw me. "Look at all the people!" She said. "They really, really like the dresses. Some women want me to design dresses for their wedding and entire wedding party! I've got orders for dresses for specific occasions and I've sold a zillion dresses since I opened this morning!" She smiled happily, wearing a dress she made. It was a little bit big on her but still looked amazing.

"Gin, that's wonderful!" I exclaimed, truly happy for my best friend. Ginny looked like she was going to burst from happiness. The lines at the dressing rooms were extremely long as well as the checkout line. People loved Ginny Potter dresses and I didn't blame them. Ginny had actually found her calling. She was the best.

May Dashwood (Hufflepuff) and Lila Michaels (Ravenclaw) were the two I went to school with that were working for Ginny now. They had experience working in a dress shop for the past year but wanted to move up and decided that moving to the new designer Ginny Potter was a brilliant move. Fleur looked happy and at ease as well. She got to work with family and Fleur was also a very fashionable woman so this seemed to suit her well until she went back into banking.

Currently the store was full of women. Most of them bought a dress that was already made, some of them needed a wedding dress so they had to tell Ginny what they specifically wanted, some needed a dress for a certain occasion so they picked out the design but needed a different color or a different size and then before the event they could come pick it up.

"Can I see the design for your wedding dress?" I asked Ginny when the crowd died down a bit.

"I don't have one." Ginny said. She started to busy herself with bringing a box of ribbon to the back room. I followed Ginny. (Ron had left a half-hour ago with Harry to go visit our house that we never got to live in and it's occupants.)

"Gin, you're getting married in two months." I said. "You've practically planned every last detail. I thought the dress would have been done by now." Ginny stopped in her designing room and dropped the box of ribbons on the over crowded desk.

"I decided to push the wedding back." Ginny said. "I've already stopped the sending of the invitations and gave up my space at that hall I liked. Everything is just postponed for now…until I can decide on a new date."

"But why?" I asked. Ginny had been so excited to get married. She had asked me to help her make the calendar of things that needed to be done each day and she had the place, the invitation design, the cake, the guest list, the menu, the music, all eight people in her wedding party, and she had been talking about the design of her dress for weeks. What changed?

"I think I should focus on business and Harry could get more time off for a honeymoon if we did it in the winter when he wasn't working. We talked about it and both think it's best." Ginny said. She didn't look me in the eye. "Plus, it would be nice if my goddaughter could be my flower girl."

"You want to wait that long?" I asked, fully surprised. She looked up at me.

"It's also because of business and Harry's games." She said. "I'd just like more time to be a couple."

"How much longer after October are you thinking?" I asked.

"Late November, early December...most likely even later." Ginny said. I was surprised…no actually I had surpassed surprised a long time ago. I was utterly shocked at this point.

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask again.

"Can we please not talk about this now?" Ginny begged. She pulled on a sweater and pulled it tight around her, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "There will still be a wedding. Harry and I are fine the way we are and I promise that as soon as we sort this out, you will be the first one to know." I nodded slowly but couldn't let it go in my head. Something else had to be wrong.

"Knock, knock! I'm looking for internationally famous designer Ginny Potter!" Ginny and I looked to see Sasha at the door, smiling with an armful of dresses.

"Internationally famous?" Ginny asked, on the verge of looking happy again, after our conversation.

"Yes! People have heard about this in Paris and are talking about it. That's all the girls were whispering about right before finals. Two girls from one of my classes were planning a trip out here today for the opening." Sasha said. Ginny laughed and got up to hug Sasha.

"Come on, I'll show you the ones I haven't put out yet. And you'll get the fifty-percent-off-if-you're-my-friend discount." Ginny said. Sasha laughed while Ginny showed the dresses that were hanging on the rack behind Ginny's desk. I looked at Ginny. She looked happy for the moment. Her cheeks were flushed as if she were embarrassed to get the complements (ya, right! This is Ginny we're talking about) but she was smiling and today I couldn't take that away from her. For now I would let it go but something else had to be wrong for her to push back the wedding that she had been waiting for since he gave her a promise ring over a year ago.

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!!**


	16. Afraid

**a/n: So the big reveal that everyone has been waiting for... Some of you have been guessing and all I'm saying is that the ones who guessed are guessing the same thing. **

**Schools almost over so I'll have more time to write but Paris is stopping with chapter 25 and then there will be another story. **

**Please review and I'll update!!!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

Ron came home from work at six on Friday, as usual and asked if it was ok if he went out for drinks with some work buddies. Of course it was fine with me although I had been planning to spend the night curled up on the couch next to him with a movie on. I didn't tell him this so Ron left and I changed into a pair of sweat pant capris and a tank top and sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and started _Because I Said So_. It turned out to be a good movie but I wished there was someone to watch it with. I picked up the phone and dialed Sasha's number.

"Hey, it's Sasha. I'm not here right now. Leave a message and I'll call you back."

I hung up without leaving a message and then dialed Ginny's number. I knew she was probably out with Harry like Sasha was out with her not pregnant friends but I hadn't seen Ginny in weeks so maybe if I left her a message she'd want to come over with Harry for the weekend. It surprised me that she picked up on the third ring.

"Hey!" Ginny said into the phone.

"Gin?" I questioned. "I thought you and Harry would be out."

"No…" Ginny said. "We've been staying in a lot. Trying to reconnect. Harry went to get some ice cream and we were going to watch a movie. So what's up?" Ginny had assured me hundreds of times in the last month (since she told me that she was pushing the wedding back) that she and Harry were fine. But reconnecting?

"Well I was calling to see if you and Harry wanted to come–" Ginny cut me off.

"We can't. I've been sick all week and haven't gotten a chance to go into the shop. I've been working from home so I still have to make tons more dresses to go…" Ginny trailed on but none of it made sense. According to Ron no one had seen Ginny much in the past month. She had been claiming she was working from home and now they were reconnecting?

"Gin, I know I asked this a lot already but are you sure that there's nothing going on?" I had to ask again. "Are you having financial trouble? Relationship trouble? Are either of you depressed at all?"

"Hermione. I know it's been a month but when Harry and I figure everything –with the wedding– out, you will be the first to know." Ginny assured me for the millionth time. I started to protest but she interrupted me. "Where's Ron?" She questioned. "I haven't talked to my big brother/ father-to-be in a while."

"He went out with some friends." I said.

"So Sasha's there?" Ginny asked.

"No, I think she's out too." I said. "I'm watching _Because I Said So_. You know that movie that I got you for your birthday."

"So you're alone." Ginny said.

"Midnight's here." I said, petting the cat that was resting next to me.

"Ron left you alone!" Ginny practically shouted in the phone. "I can't believe he did that! If Harry left me to go out with friends while I'm stuck here pregnant and unable to go anywhere without causing a scene I would rip him a new one."

"Gee Gin, nice of you to notice." I said, sarcastically. "And by the way I am perfectly content with not being able to go out because I'm twenty-five weeks. I happen to get tired frequently."

"Don't I know it?" Ginny muttered into the phone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, my voice was rising and I was near tears. Way to take a shot at the pregnant lady.

"No, Hermione I didn't mean anything by that!" Ginny insisted. "It's just that. I – well Hermione I–" I heard a muffled hello on the other line and assumed Harry was home. "Uh, Mione Harry's home. He wants to say hi."

"Wait, what were you going to say?" I asked but Harry had already picked up the phone.

"Hey Mione!" Harry exclaimed. "How's my goddaughter?"

"Fine." I answered shortly. First Ron left me alone and then Ginny decides to mock me because I'm alone and pregnant and then Harry interrupts the news that I was about to get. We chatted for several minutes but he could tell I wasn't in a good mood. When we hung up, I lay down and turned the movie back on.

Ron came home at ten. It wasn't late at all but I was kind of angry with him from the conversation I had with Ginny.

"I'm going to bed." I said, slamming the remote down and scaring Midnight. I felt bad but was too angry to care.

"Is something wrong?" Ron asked. He came closer to give me a kiss goodnight but I turned my cheek and walked past him.

"Nope." I said. His breath smelt like peppermint, which happens after he eats junk food and doesn't want me to know. That made me angrier. I stomped to the room and slammed the door behind me. I wasn't tired enough to go to sleep but I wanted him to know I was pissed off. The door opened and Ron walked in, cautiously.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Fine. Peachy. Stupendous!" I spat, sarcastically.

"Did I do something?" He asked.

"No. Nothing of course." I said.

"Are you mad because I went out?" He asked. "Because I didn't have too." I could imagine the words he wasn't saying. _I could have stayed here with you_. Who wants to be stuck with a grumpy pregnant lady on their Friday night? I don't even want to be stuck with me.

"No." I said, falling on the bed. I felt sorry and I wasn't angry anymore. "I'm not angry with you."

"What's wrong?" He asked. He sat on the bed next to me. This was the third argument in a week. A record since we had been married.

"I'm a week and six months pregnant." I said. "I can't do anything anymore. Who wants to go dancing with someone whose feet can't even fit into her dancing shoes?" I asked.

"I do." Ron said.

"Oh, please." I said. "You can't stay here with me all the time and we're nineteen so it's not like I have any friends who are pregnant to relate and hangout with." Tears started to fall. "I'm alone!" I went face first into my pillow and sobbed.

"No, you're not." Ron assured me. "I'm here."

"Go away!" I cried.

"I don't want to." Ron said. "I want to be here with you and the baby. When she comes I won't be able to go out anymore anyways so it's not like it's a big deal." I don't think Ron meant it that way but I took it the wrong way. I stood up from the bed, wrenched my shoulders from his grasp and went to the closet where I took out a sweater. I opened the bedroom door, slammed it and then went up to the baby's room. I locked the door and turned the music on and up so I couldn't hear Ron on the other side. I sat on the floor with the baby book and started to look through it while I cried and felt alone.

The next thing I knew I was waking up on the floor. Quickly I went to shut off the annoying music and saw that the purple butterfly clock in my daughter's room read two a.m. The argument came back to me and I hurried to open the door. I expected to go and find Ron in our room but instead I found him just outside the door on the landing. He was startled awake when I opened the door.

"Wuzz goin on?" Ron asked tiredly. He looked up at me, worriedly. Any of my anger that hadn't already gone had disappeared for good.

"Ron, I'm sorry." I said. I slid down into a sitting position next to him. "I've just been going crazy with all these hormones and I worried that something is going on with Harry and Ginny and I've been bored with nothing to do all day."

"But didn't Marie and Bertram give you a job at _Un Bon Livre_?" Ron asked. I nodded.

"It's not school though. Without schoolwork to think about it just seems like I'm just waiting to give birth and then I can do more things. I'd like to do something more." I said. Ron nodded as if he understood. He took my hand.

"I'm sorry about what I said before. I didn't mean it like that. You're my favorite person in the world to hang out with. It's just the guys were all going out and invited me…"

"It's ok if you go out with your friends." I assured him.

"Point is, I want to spend time with you too and I can't wait for our daughter to be born." Ron said.

"I know." I smiled at him. Ron smiled back and leaned over to kiss me.

"What do you say we make a surprise visit to London?" Ron asked.

"When?" I asked, excitedly. Ginny had been so close to telling me before. In person she might just spill the whole thing.

"Now." Ron said. I loved the spontaneous Ron! I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his.

"Or in an hour or two." Ron said, dazed from the kiss. But I had already jumped up.

"I'll go pack!" I said, excitedly. I rushed down the stairs, leaving Ron sitting there smiling.

xxx

An hour later we had packed and taken a Portkey to England. I was still in my sweatpants and tank top but I had a thin jean jacket over it to protect myself from the chilly summer air. We were heading up the steps to Harry and Ginny's flat while I took my cell phone out.

"Hello?" Ginny asked tiredly from the phone.

"Gin, it's me." I said.

"Hermione, what's wrong? Is something wrong with the baby?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"No. Just open your front door and I'll tell you." I said.

"What?!" Ginny responded. Less than a minute later we heard the click of the door and Ginny was standing there, looking tired and confused, wrapped up in a bulky robe that was much to warm for the summer. "What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, pulling the robe tighter around herself. "It's two in the morning."

"We haven't seen you in a while." Ron said. He reached out to hug her and then took our bags inside. I smiled and hugged Ginny. Ginny shut the door behind us and wrapped her arms around herself, self-consciously. The place looked as if Harry and Ginny had been stuck in there for days. It was messy with dresses hanging in odd places, the kitchen sink was overflowing with dishes, the DVD collection seemed to be growing and from what I could see the office/ home designing room looked like a tornado wreck.

"Wow." I couldn't help myself saying.

"Sorry, it's a mess." Ginny said, rushing around. She was holding the robe around herself and rushing around trying to pick things up. "Like I said, I've been sick."

"But Harry said you guys couldn't come to Paris this weekend because you were working too hard at the shop." Ron said, catching her lie. We have had debates for weeks about what could be going on with these two. Maybe we would actually find out… A look of worry spread across Ginny's face. She babbled something but in her ramble Ginny dropped the book she was holding and the hold on her robe fell. My eyes went wide and Ron and I both stood there, shocked.

"What's going on?" Harry asked tiredly from the bedroom. He came into the living room and looked from Ginny and her open robe to Ron and I. "So you know now?" Harry asked. I closed my mouth and then opened it to tried to speak but no words came out. My eyes were focused on Ginny's bump. It wasn't big but you could still tell which meant that this must have been the real reason Ginny left school, this was the reason they pushed back the wedding, this was the reason no one had seen them in over a month. Ginny was pregnant.

Ginny pulled off the heavy robe and sat on the couch with her head in her hands.

"I didn't want you to find out like this." She said. It was muffled through her hands. "I was going to tell you. I was. But we didn't know everything and then it was just easy to keep it a secret."

Ron and I stared, shocked at her. Harry was looking wearily at Ron. Ginny began sobbing and explaining herself.

Apparently they found out the weekend before Ginny got the letter from the Ministry. Ginny was going to stay in school and afterwards she was going to intern at the Ministry for as long as she could. That was until she got the letter. She said that it was really the letter that caused her to leave.

"I don't buy it." I said. Ginny looked up at me in confusion. "The letter from the ministry was your excuse for leaving. The real reason you left was because you were pregnant. Maybe a tiny part of it was the letter but you were looking for an excuse not to stay and the letter was it." Ginny stared at me and I could tell that I hit the nail on the head with my assumption. "And why did you push the wedding back?" Ginny looked away from me so I looked at Harry.

"Ginny didn't want to get married while she was pregnant." Harry answered quietly for her. "And I'd rather get married after the kid is born too."

"Who else knows?" I asked.

"No one." Ginny shook her head. "We wanted to figure everything out first."

"And have you?" I asked. I was being a little harsh but then again I had just found out that my best friends were having a baby and they didn't tell me even though I was having one too.

"Yes." Harry answered. Ron stood there in half surprise, half anger. He didn't look at either Harry or Ginny.

"Are you giving it up?" Ron asked. Everyone turned to look at him but he only looked at Ginny's stomach, not in her eyes.

"Of course not." Harry said.

"So what, you were going to hide out here for the next couple months?" Ron asked. "What's everyone going to say when you've got a baby? Were you going to hide him or her from everyone?" He looked angry. "This isn't a game! This is real life. You're having a baby!"

"What are you going to do?" I asked in a calmer way than Ron.

"We still haven't worked out how to tell everyone." Ginny said.

"It wasn't like the name game." Harry said. He fell into a chair, looking at the floor. "It's scary when you find out that you're having a kid, not your best friends. We were going to come up and tell you the weekend after we found out but then Ginny left school. We changed our plans around, decided not to get married until the baby was born, and figured pretty much everything except what to tell Molly and Arthur. And we figured out most of it in these last few weeks that we've been stuck at home."

"You have to tell them." I said. "You can't stay stuck in this flat all day, hiding out from the world because Molly and Arthur aren't going to speak to you anymore. Do you see me doing that?"

"The world is the problem too." Harry said. "When people find out that Ginny's pregnant the press is going to flip. 'Ask Ginny' dropped out of school to pursue dressmaking while she is pregnant with Quidditch seeker, Harry Potter's kid. We'll tell the family first and then we're going to make a public statement about it. My agent is going to want to spin this a good way." It seemed weird to hear Harry talk about it like this. He was a public figure though and everyone knew 'Ask Ginny' or Ginny Potter the designer as she is more recently referred to.

"And how are you planning on raising a baby?" I asked.

"We're financially capable of raising a kid." Ginny assured us. "We could buy a house and hire a nanny to look after it when we can't."

"Yeah but are you ready to have a baby?" Ron asked. It came out kind of cold. "Listen to the two of you. Neither one of you has called it a baby once or even a him or a her. It's always 'a kid' or 'it'. There's a lot of responsibility that goes a long with this and the two of you haven't even taken the first step and told anyone. It doesn't matter if you're afraid to tell mum and dad, you didn't tell anyone. Instead, you decide to hide out here because people will gossip!"

"No, Ronald I'm not ready!" Ginny shouted. "I'm eighteen years old and I still want to have a life. I'm not ready for this in the least bit but I'm trying to get myself ready. I'm sorry if it bothers you that I'm having a _baby_ but get over it!"

"I'm having a baby." Ron stated, falling into the chair, the anger slowly fading. "I'm going through this. I know what it's like and I didn't think you were going to have to go through this for another couple of years."

"I didn't plan it like this." Ginny said softly. "Only once I thought it would be cool for Hermione and I to be pregnant at the same time and I've regretted it ever since. We aren't ready for this…and maybe we are in denial but right now we're scared and trying to fully grasp the idea."

"I'm scared for you too." Ron said. "And I'm scared for Hermione and I but you've got to work past that."

"Listen," I said as I began picking things from the floor up. "Let's get this place clean and we can figure out how to tell Molly and Arthur over a cup of decaffeinated tea. And then after that's done you can deal with the public."

"It's really that easy?" Harry asked. "You aren't going to yell anymore and tell us that we are too immature for this."

"You're adults, it's your responsibility." Ron answered calmly. "And seeing as Hermione and I have been in your shoes at one point, I don't think we have the right to yell at you."

"You grow up as you go along." I said. Harry smiled and reached out to hug me. I hugged him back but the truth was, I was scared for them…and I was scared for Ron and I as well.

xxx

We all slept in the next day. It had taken us so long to clean the large flat up that we decided we would strategize in the morning. Around eleven I heard a knock at the door. It took me a minute to remember that Ginny was pregnant and whoever was at the door, would not know. Quietly I crept out of bed and opened my door a crack to see who was there.

Harry tiredly walked out of his bedroom, pulling on a t-shirt as he walked. He yawned and pulled the door open. His expression changed greatly from half asleep to wide-awake. I pulled the door open a little more to see who it was. My mouth fell open when I saw that it was Molly.

"Hello Harry." Molly said. She didn't sound angry and she didn't sound happy. Just normal.

"H-h-hi." Harry said.

"Is Ginny around?" Molly asked. Harry nodded in surprise and went to the bedroom while Molly got comfortable at the kitchen table. I was glad that cleaning the flat was my first priority. I pulled my self to a sitting position and crossed one leg over the other. I always have to pee at the most inconvenient times.

Ginny came out of her room wrapped up in the bulky robe once again. Harry was following her. They both wearily took seats at the kitchen table.

"Hi mum." Ginny said.

"Ginny," Molly started. "I've been thinking a lot lately and I've realized something. I haven't spoken to my son in months or his wife and I'm on the verge of never knowing my granddaughter. Now, I've stopped talking with you and Harry. I didn't even know you were pushing the wedding back until just recently and I didn't hear it from you. I've realized that you and Ron have grown up and you're adults now. You are responsible for your own decisions…as much as I don't like them.

"I can't stop the fact that Ron and Hermione are having a baby and want to raise her in Paris and I can't very well stop you from pursuing something that you have a real talent for. These are your decisions and your life. I would like to be involved." Molly stopped talking and I was close to crying. I might of if I wasn't concentrating on holding my bladder.

"Thank you mum." Ginny said. She looked on the verge of tears. I didn't blame her, she had news that might have just killed Molly's positive attitude on this. I strained to hear what else Ginny was saying buy I really couldn't hold it anymore! I got up and opened the door. I tried to hurry to the bathroom unnoticed but I was spotted.

"Hermione?" Molly asked. I was already in the bathroom and wasn't going back now. However, when I opened the door I saw Molly, standing out there, waiting for me.

"Hi, Molly." I said. I put my hands over my stomach and looked nervously around.

"Did you happen to catch what I said before?" Molly asked. She was tearing up and looking at my stomach. I could tell she wanted to hug me.

"Yeah, I did." My voice caught in my throat. Another word and I would be crying. Damn hormones.

"I was being irresponsible when I didn't support you and Ron. I'm sorry. And I want to be a part of my granddaughter's life." Molly said. I nodded as tears slipped out and reached out to hug her. Behind Molly I could see Harry looking at Ginny. They were silently conversing with their eyes.

"Mum." Ginny said when Molly released me. I watched in surprise as Ginny grabbed onto the strings on her robe. She was starting to cry. "I really don't want to disappoint you after you forgave me." Ginny cried.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked, worriedly going over to Ginny's side.

"It wasn't planned and I'm sorry." Ginny pulled the strings that held the robe closed. The robe opened, revealing her four-month bump. Molly gasped while Harry put his hand on shaking Ginny's shoulder.

"Wh-when did this happen?" Molly asked.

"We found out three months ago." Harry said. Molly looked from Harry to Ginny to me.

"I'm – four – months – along." Ginny's crying was getting worse. She was breathing heavily and sobbing.

"Shhh." Molly said. She reached out to hug Ginny. I had a feeling that if Ginny wasn't like this Molly might have yelled for a little bit or went into a whole 20 questions about what they were going to do and then she would have gotten herself involved in planning for this. But Ginny's crying wasn't because she was scared of what her mother would say. It was because she was completely terrified in general. Telling Molly made everything real.

Molly hugged Ginny while Ginny cried and Harry stood next to them. He was scared too. There were exciting points to this for him, like teaching his child about Quidditch and Defense Against the Dark Arts and retelling stories of 'when I was in Hogwarts' but now the cold hard truth had sunk in. His life was changing drastically. They were having a baby.

Ron tiredly walked out of the room. He stood next to me and grabbed my hand. I didn't know if he had been listening or if he had just woken up but he seemed to know what had been going on. I rested my head against Ron's shoulder and rested a hand on my stomach.

We were definitely all growing up now…

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!**


	17. Family Adventures

**a/n: Hey! My birthday was yesterday! I am updating as my birthday present to all of you! I'm now seventeen (I feel so old because I'm graduating next year but it's not even really that old...lol...) Anyways here is the next chapter and there is some important info about the next story in this chapter. So please read and I hope you like it! **

**Always,  
Kylie**

August twentieth was supposed to be the day of Harry and Ginny's wedding. It was also less than a month away from my twentieth birthday and almost two months away from my due date.

The entire family now knew about Ginny and Harry expecting. Ginny and Harry were handling it all with great maturity…well trying to. They still weren't ready for the baby and both were a little freaked out.

Ginny was now five months and had decided to wait on finding out the sex of the baby until it was born. Harry had spoken to his agent and they decided to put a positive spin on it. Harry was featured on the cover of _Quidditch_ magazine with an article in it, asking Harry questions about it. Harry basically said that it wasn't planned but they were excited. Ginny and Harry were both on the cover of this month's _With Weekly_ magazine with pictures and interviews inside. Basically the Wizarding World had all been clued into the lives of Harry and Ginny and how they were preparing for the unexpected baby. They were now considering buying a house.

Although Molly had finally decided to be a part of her granddaughter's life, I couldn't say the same for mum. She still hadn't spoken a word to us since we told them. As much as I wanted her to be happy for us, I was more focused on preparing for what was to come in two months. Ron and I had decided that within a week of my due date we were going to go to England so that the baby could be born in St. Mungo's like he was. We had narrowed down the names to two. We kept going back and forth. She was a Addison but she was also a Kaia. It was continuously back and forth with it. Healer Statham said she was coming along just fine and was right on schedule. The next two months were my preparations for raising her. I was going to be mum. There was a little girl that was going to call me mummy and Ron daddy. It was exciting and overwhelming at the same time.

Ginny was throwing me a baby shower on the day that was supposed to be her wedding. I was hoping it would help her get her mind off of it. She kicked me out of my own apartment that morning and told me to come back around one. Ron had been at the Gazette office all morning trying to catch up on work and Harry was practicing for the World Cup. I decided I would stop at the Gazette office and see Ron while I waited for Ginny to get things ready.

On a Saturday, there wasn't much going on in the office. My flip-flops slapped against the floor, making a loud echoing sound as I walked through the lobby. Usually the building was full of people. There was the France Gazette staff and the International Gazette staff and there was always something to do. But seeing it empty was eerie.

"'Ermione!" I turned around to see Jacques smiling at me. He kissed both of my cheeks and then put his hands on my stomach. I really didn't like it when people did that but this was Ron's boss and I couldn't snap at him. "'Ow eez ze baby?"

"She's fine." I smiled and stepped back, placing my own hands on my stomach. "How's the Gazette coming along?" I asked.

"Wonderful!" Jacques exclaimed. He took my arm "Only four more months unteel we are moving on!" He began leading me to the part of the building where Ron's office was.

"Have you decided where you're going next?" I asked.

"Yes, we are going to New York and California." Jacques said, smiling. "We 'ave decided yesterday zat eez where we are going."

"Oh, good." I said.

"Ron had ze idea to send 'alf ze team to New York and 'alf ze team to California." Jacques informed me.

"Where is Ron going to have to go?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"'E said 'e wanted to talk eet out wiz you." Jacques said. "But I told 'im that 'e doesn't have to live zere. 'E can stay 'ere or go to England but 'e would only 'ave to come for a certain time each month. Zat way ze two of you and ze baby weel not 'ave to move around a lot."

"Oh." I said. I hadn't realized that in four months we were definitely going to have to travel to these places at one point or another.

"And 'ow eez your book coming along?" Jacques asked.

"Great." I answered. I had just started writing the second one and the first one wasn't due out until November, after the baby came. That gave time to schedule book signings and interviews. "Really well."

"Zat eez great!" Jacques said as we approached Ron's office. "You are a wonderful author, 'Ermione." He stopped at the door to Ron's office. "Take care of zat baby in zere!" Jacques said.

"I will." I smiled at Jacques before walking into Ron's office and shutting the door behind me.

"Hey." Ron said, looking up. "Ginny kick you out of the apartment?" He asked.

"Yeah!" I said, sounding offended. I fell into the chair across from his desk.

"I don't like her temper when she's pregnant." Ron said. "I mean, before it was bad but now it's ten times worse!"

"You can say that again." I said, smiling at Ron. "So New York or California?" I asked him. Ron's face looked confused for only a second.

"I was going to tell you last night but Ginny came and I thought we should discuss this alone." Ron said.

"We're alone now." I pointed out.

"True." Ron said. "New York or California?" He wondered.

"Well, would we be living there fulltime?" I asked. I didn't know what I wanted the answer to be. The Gazette would be there for Ron if we went fulltime but they were both in the States. That was a pretty far was to travel as frequently as we travel back to London especially since we couldn't Portkey with the baby.

"Jacques said we don't have to." Ron said. "It'll just be for a couple days each month. We could stay here in Paris with the Gazette."

"But, all that aside. Are you going to mind the Gazette going on, without you there?" I asked. It was silent for a few seconds.

"I'll miss working on the new Gazette with something entirely new to plan each week and the excitement of every decision being up to me but we'll have the baby and you have school here." The pause at the beginning had already given me my answer but now I was sure what I had to do for my husband…and my child.

"Where would you rather be every day?" I asked. "In New York or California?"

"But–" Ron opened his mouth in protest.

"Just answer the question." I cut him off. Ron thought about it for a minute.

"I couldn't see myself in New York City." Ron answered. "We just did the city thing here in Paris. I'd much rather be in California but it's also up to you and we aren't going to be there every day–"

"I'd rather be in California too." I said, smiling. "Picture it like this." I said. "We have a nice house that sits right on the beach. It's got three rooms and in ours there's a terrace that looks out onto the beach. Our daughter can have her room and she can play outside in the California sun. And Midnight can have a wandering room/ office. It'll be a lot different life than here in Paris but I think we should try and find a place where we can be comfortable with our baby and the city life may not be best for her." Ron smiled while I talked.

"That sounds great hon, but we can't just pick up again and leave." Ron said. "You're going to school and we found a daycare and it's not too far away from our family. If we lived in California that would be a Portkey trip every time. It gets expensive not to mention the fact that the baby can't take a Portkey until she's one."

"What if we applied for International Apparation Licenses?!" I practically shouted as the idea came to me. "I looked them up when we first moved to Paris but we never needed them. Babies can Apparate with an adult after the first three months and it only takes two months of classes before you can take the test. We could live in California and come visit our family in England. You can come back and visit the Gazette here and in England. I could still go to school here and it would be perfect!" I smiled as I thought over my plan.

"Every day, you're going to Apparate here and leave the country to go to school?" Ron asked, skeptically. "What about the baby? Is she going to still go to daycare here?"

"No. We'd find her a daycare by our house." I said.

"So you're going to leave her at a daycare while you travel to a different country every day?" Ron asked. I opened my mouth and then closed it again. I couldn't do that.

"Why do you keep finding problems with this?" I asked hopelessly.

"I'm not trying to." Ron said. "I just don't want you to make any decisions because of me. We need to do what's best for us and our daughter."

"Moving to California will be what's best for you and raising her in a house instead of an apartment in the city would be best for our daughter." I said. "And you're my husband. I'm willing to make sacrifices such as going to school in California for you."

Ron was quiet. He looked around his office and then at me and my pregnant belly. He seemed to be thinking.

"Is that going to make you happy?" Ron finally asked. "You've only been to school for a semester here. Are you going to miss it?"

"I'll be happy learning anywhere." I said, smiling. "And I'll be happy if you're happy."

"All right." Ron said. I perked up. "Let's consider it for now and after your Baby Shower tonight we'll figure it out."

"Ok!" I exclaimed. This possible move was starting to sound exciting. I had never been to California before but I had seen pictures and heard how beautiful I jumped up from my chair (well as much jump as I could get with a seven month pregnant stomach) and hurried around the desk to hug Ron.

"We've got to do a lot of talking about it so it isn't definite." Ron said.

"I know." I smiled and pressed my lips against his.

"I want to make sure that we're making the right decision for _all_ of us." Ron said.

"Yep." I said, kissing him again.

"Seriously." Ron said.

"I know." I smiled and kissed him yet again.

xxx

I made it back to the apartment around one. I was smiling as I was planning life in California in my head. Ron made it clear that for now this was only up for discussion but I think it was only because he wanted to make sure I was sure about it.

As I knocked on my front door, I tried to listen for movement inside. What could they have possibly done to my apartment that got me out of the house from eleven to one? Ginny opened the door and shut it behind her before I could see what was inside.

"They aren't done with the decorating yet." Ginny said. "I'll take you down to the café and we'll grab a cup of tea. They should be done afterwards." I protested the entire way because I was tired and wanted to change. (I was wearing a light blue skirt with a white tank top and there was nothing wrong with it but I was just really tired and wanted to sit down in an air-conditioned room.)

"Look, we're here." Ginny said, pulling me along. She pulled me directly to the back of the café where there was the entrance to the outside seating.

"SURPRISE!" As we walked back out into the sun, I noticed all of my female friends and family standing there looking happy.

In shock, I looked around at the familliar faces and the very decorated cafe. There were tables set up with pink and purple table cloths. To my left there was a large table with a cake and stacks of baby gifts and all around were decorations of pink and purple. I surveyed the guests.

Molly was there…of course (she helped plan it), Fleur, Alison, Penelope, Alicia, Angelina, Tonks, Sasha, some friends from the Gazette, and …my mother? I was surprised to see her there but maybe she was here to apologize for how she acted five months ago.

"Wow!" I said, walking into party. "This is…great! Thank you all."

I began making my way around the party, thanking people for coming. I avoided my mother until last. I stopped in front of her and Ginny was at my side. Ginny's expression and the way she hugged her hands over her own stomach told me that my mother had not come to fix things. I didn't say anything. If she was here, she was going to talk first.

"Hermione." Mum said sadly, looking at my stomach. "I really wish that you and Ron had been smarter in your decisions. I wish that you had thought before getting pregnant in the first place and I wish that you were coming to live in England where you can have help raising your daughter."

"Mum, if you're going to do this, then just leave." I said. I couldn't deal with this now.

"I'm not finished." Mum said. She tore her gaze from my stomach and looked up at me. "However, wishing to change what has already happen won't do any good. I've talked with your father and I've talked with Molly and I have realized that I want to be a part of my granddaughter's life. I do not support what you and Ron are doing at all but this is my first grandchild and I need to have her in my life."

"She's going to be a part of your life mum." I said. "I wouldn't want it any other way." I had always known that she would be there for my daughter. I had just hoped that she would be there for me too when that happened. "Someday I hope that you'll realize how capable Ron and I are of raising her and that you're job was not to tell us how to do it but to be there for us." Mum nodded.

"Hopefully, someday you'll prove that to me." She said.

I turned back to the party feeling a little better. She was going to flip when she found out that we might be moving to California but all I really wanted was for my daughter to have her Grammy (Molly) and her Nana (Mum).

x

"So, what name have you decided on?" Ginny asked. The party was starting to clear out. Tonks, Fleur, Alison, and Penelope had to get back to England to their own children, Molly and Mum were talking about my daughter and Sasha, Angelina, and Alicia were conversing. "Kaia?"

"We're still not sure yet." I said. "I like that but Addison is a nice name too. We won't know which one suits her until she's born."

"Fine!" Ginny huffed. "But you'll be naming her Kaia. She's suited for that name perfectly." She stuck her fork into the piece of cake on her plate.

"And how are you holding up?" I asked.

"Fine." Ginny said, sighing heavily. "Harry and I already have two set names for our child whether it's a boy or a girl."

"I hope it's a girl." I said, excitedly. "Then Lilly and my daughter will grow up close, like sisters." Ginny shrugged but suppressed a smile, letting me know that the same thought crossed her mind.

"I wouldn't mind a baby boy or a baby girl." She said.

"And how about you and Harry?" I asked. Ginny shrugged again.

"Nothing is that different." Ginny said. "Except, instead of reading fashion magazines before bed, I read pregnancy books and Harry tries not to let me know but he's terrified of being a father and I can't help him because I'm scared too."

"Gin, it's natural to be scared." I said. "I've been afraid since it happened but eventually it goes away and you get to be happy."

"I remember when it was so simple before this happened." Ginny said. "I was supposed to be walking down the aisle today and become Mrs. H Potter but now I'm worried if I can be some kid's mum or if I can even take care of a kid." Tears started to fall down Ginny's cheeks. "When did you realize that you were ready?" She asked me.

"Never." I answered. "I worry about those things too but at some point you have to be able to trust yourself to bring him or her into a safe world. Ginny, you and Harry have got a lot of support from the entire family and despite what you think, I know you'll be a capable mother."

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, her eyes serious.

"Positive." I said. "And it will help to talk about this with Harry."

"Do you think Ron could talk about this with Harry?" Ginny asked. "Maybe help him realize that it gets easier?"

"You two talk and then Ron and Harry can talk. I promise, it will get better." I smiled at Ginny.

"You'll make a great mother Hermione. Kaia is a lucky girl." I laughed and rolled my eyes but didn't correct her about the name. I hoped that I would be a great mother because there were only two months left.

xxx

Around nine that night everyone (including Ginny) had gone home. Ron and I were in the baby's room, putting away all the gifts that we had gotten.

"Well what's the problem then?" I asked in a whinny tone. "You want to. I want to. The baby wants to. Let's do it!"

"What about Midnight?" Ron questioned. "How do you know that she wants to move to California?" Ron had just managed to get all of the baby clothes we received today, in the dresser.

"She lays around on the floor all day where she gets the light from the sun!" I said. "She'll love it there."

"But are you sure that you want to do this?" Ron asked. He fell into the rocking chair.

"I do." I said. "Paris was scary at first but we came and we survived. Now we're on a new adventure in our life. California might be the right place for us to finally settle down." I looked at Ron. He seemed to be fighting back a smile. "I knew it, I knew you wanted to go too!" I exclaimed happily. Ron stood up and walked over to me. He put his hands around me.

"I want to do this as long as you'll be there with me." Ron said.

"I want to do this too." I said, smiling. Ron smiled too and kissed me.

"So, we're going to do it?" I asked, "We're going to move to California?" Ron nodded as a grin was working its way across his face.

"Yeah, we are. We're going to move to California!" Ron said. I leaned forward and kissed him again.

In two months we were beginning a whole new adventure in our lives. There would be someone else in our lives, an addition to our family. And in four months the three of us would be off on our first adventure as a family.

**A/n: REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!!**


	18. TwentyYear Old Mother

**a/n: Hey!! Sorry it's been a while but I suddenly had an idea for the story about their daughter and I started writing that and I wanted to finish nineteen before I put eighteen up but that's not done either. Point is I wrote the story of their daughter up to chapter nine and I'm working on Paris chapter nineteen this week so we'll see how long that takes. I'm hoping it will be soon!**

**Please review and I hope you like this one!!!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

I stood in the center of the living room, surveying the decorations. There were colorful balloons hanging in every corner of the room with a 'Happy 20th Birthday' sign above the entertainment center. Streamers ran through the room in turquoise and purple. The furniture was pushed back somewhat so there was room to stand but also room to sit.

My twentieth birthday was on Tuesday and Ron and I had went out and celebrated but Ron thought that my twentieth (a supposed big event in my life) was something to celebrate more. This morning (Saturday morning) he had decorated and informed me that Harry, Ginny, Sasha, Trey, Neville, Luna, Tonks, Lupin, Penny, Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia were coming up to help celebrate. I felt that celebrating twenty was only celebrating how young I was and the fact that I was about to be a mother. I only went along with it to humor Ron.

Today was one of the rare days where I actually felt comfortable and thought I looked all right. Sasha had taken me shopping the other day where I bought a pair of tan shorts and a coral colored top. I was wearing the matching flip-flops and my hair was pulled half-up while the rest was curly. I loved those days where I felt slightly attractive despite the fact that I was eight months pregnant.

"Hello, love!" Ron said. He walked through the door of our flat, leaving it open. In his hand he had bags of groceries that I'd asked him to pick up.

"Hi." I said, smiling. I loved that he was excited for my birthday…even though I really wasn't.

"I just got a call from Neville and Luna. They said they were leaving their flat to go meet Fred and Angelina at the Portkey. Luna sounded a little different…kind of serious. I think something's up with them." Ron informed me.

"Since when did you become the gossiper in the family?" I asked, laughing.

"Just speculation." Ron shrugged, carrying the bags into the kitchen. I followed him.

"Well, what do you _speculate_ is wrong?" I asked.

"They still aren't pregnant." Ron pointed out as he began unpacking groceries. "They've been trying for a few months. Maybe something's up with that."

"Really?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. I had forgotten about that. Ron shrugged.

"Again, just speculation." Ron said.

"Ok." I said, testing out his knowledge of our friends' lives. "And what do you _speculate_ is going on with Trey and Sasha? I met her for tea this morning and she looked awful. She said that she and Trey have been arguing about something ridiculous since yesterday." I folded my arms across my chest and sat down on a kitchen chair. Ron looked slightly guilty.

"That may very well be possibly my fault." Ron said.

"What did you do?" I asked, sternly.

"I kind of asked Trey if he wanted to come to the California Gazette and offered him a really great position over there." Ron answered.

"What?" I asked in shock.

"It wasn't intentional. Yesterday I was mentioning how the Gazette was going to be weird without him and that it would be great if he could come along. He said that Jacques had given him the opportunity to come along and help out but he wasn't sure yet. And I said that if he came he wouldn't just be one of the reporters/ translator again, he would have a better job that made more money. I guess he talked to Sasha about it but Paris has been her home since she graduated from school and this was where she always wanted to be…"

"So they're fighting because Trey wants to move with the Gazette but Sasha wants to stay here?" I questioned. Ron nodded, guiltily.

"It's not your fault…intentionally." I assured him. We hadn't told our family yet about California. The plan was to wait until I was in labor and then when the baby was here no one would really care because she would be too adorable. Harry and Ginny were going to be let in on it eventually but I was scared of letting Ginny think that we wouldn't be here for help and support which we would…no matter which country we lived in. For now I just hoped that Trey and Sasha wouldn't let this come between them.

xxx

Around one Trey and Sasha showed up. Sasha wasn't speaking to Trey and Trey wasn't speaking to Sasha. I think the California move might have come between them. Ginny, Harry, Neville, Luna, Fred, George, Alicia, and Angelina showed up next. Luna wasn't speaking to Neville and Neville was upset about it. Ron's "speculation" from before made me wonder what was up.

Ron turned on the music, placed the food out on tables and everyone mingled. I was overjoyed that all of these people had gotten together just for the occasion of my birthday…despite the fact that it felt to me like a party to celebrate the twenty year old mother.

"Hello!" Someone sang out. I turned to the door where Tonks and Lupin were standing, holding a wriggling Penny.

"You're here!" I exclaimed, happy to see them.

"Happy Birthday!" Tonks said cheerfully, hugging me.

"Twenty. That's a big year." Lupin pointed out, hugging me with one arm, the other was holding Penny. I nodded.

"Look who it is!" I exclaimed, reaching my arms out for Penny. "Oh my you've gotten so big!"

"Hiya!" Penny exclaimed, flashing me a smile where the teeth weren't all there. I laughed and she giggled. The adorable little girl was one year and three months. "Down! Down!" She exclaimed, wriggling in my arms. I laughed, letting her down. She ran forward until Ron swooped her up.

"Who invited this cutie?" Ron asked. He tickled her stomach and she giggled hysterically. Lupin and Tonks had wandered away, seeming slightly happy that they had a break.

"Honey, I want one." I said, fussing over Penny's adorable pink cheeks.

"Good, cause we're going to have one in a month." Ron joked.

"But I want one now." I protested like a little girl. Ron laughed.

"I'd suggest taking this one but I think her parents might miss her." Ron smiled at me.

"Down! Down!" Penny interrupted. Her hair was growing in a light brown color and her violet eyes sparkled, enchantingly. She had on a tiny pink skirt and a white top with a pink heart. Cutest thing, ever! Ron let her down but held onto her hand so she wouldn't go anywhere.

"Want to see the kitty?" Ron asked her.

"Kitty-cat?" Penny's eyes lit up with excitement. She ran (baby waddled) to the abandoned diaper bag by the door and pulled out a gray stuffed cat. "Kitty-cat!" She exclaimed. Ron laughed; he picked Penny up again.

"I'm going to take her to the kitchen to go meet Midnight." He informed me.

"Buh-bye!" Penny waved at me. I smiled and placed my hands on my stomach. Was there a way to make my baby come sooner? Just then something caught my eye. To my left, Sasha and Trey were furiously arguing in whispers and angry hand gestures. To my right, Neville was trying to talk to Luna who was ignoring him. Something had to be done to fix all this. I decided to enlist the two best people possible for the job.

Tonks and Lupin were good with resolving fights. I had memories of them helping out in Hogwarts when there were fights…

"Sure, of course we'll help out." Tonks said when I explained the problems. "I haven't been able to fix a fight in ages." She smiled and clapped her hands together, ready for the challenge.

"I'll take Sasha and Trey and you take Neville and Luna." Lupin suggested.

"All right." Tonks agreed. They both turned in separate directions to resolve the fights between our friends. But before anyone could resolve anything the silent arguments changed volume.

"Stop it! I'm not forgiving you!" Luna finally shouted, turning around to face Neville. She was fuming.

She screamed that at the same time Sasha yelled out, "I don't want to move! I'm going to miss Ron and Hermione too but I can't just hop a Portkey to California because you decide you want to go there!"

The entire party went silent except for the sound of Beverly Hills playing in the background that was completely inappropriate at this time.

"You're moving to California?" Fred, George, and Harry asked at the same time. They turned to look at Ron (who had just come back into the room with Penny and Midnight) and I.

Alicia was trying to comfort the distraught Luna. Sasha was looking at us apologetically and Trey was looking at his wife. Angelina stood by Sasha's side, ready to defend her if necessary while Fred, George, and Harry glared at us. Ginny looked like she had something to say and Tonks and Lupin looked at each other, deciding silently how they should handle this.

"I think I want to move to Paris." Ginny announced, breaking the silence. All hell broke loose from there.

Harry turned to Ginny in astonishment and came up with a least a half a million protests while Ginny protested right back.

Luna apparently told Alicia what Neville did because Alicia was yelling at Neville for being an "immature ass".

Trey was defending himself for wanting to move and Angelina was stopping and giving him at least two million reasons why Sasha was upset.

And then Fred and George found us. They began protesting that for their niece's sake of not being close with her family they should not move to California. We didn't get a chance to tell them our full plan.

Penny was waddling around, trying to copy what Midnight was doing and Midnight seemed to enjoy entertaining the young girl.

Tonks and Lupin were looking around the room with determination on their faces. They were going to resolve all the fights but I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be in private like I had hoped.

"Quiet!" Lupin bellowed in a growly voice that was pretty scary. The room went silent…completely (Tonks turned the music off).

"Everyone find a seat now." Tonks said in a strict tone. In a heartbeat, everyone was scurrying around for a seat. Tonks and Lupin definitely knew how to handle things. "Now," Tonks said, "let's sort this out in a calmer manner."

"Luna, go first." Lupin instructed.

"Uh, I think maybe Luna and I should discuss this in private. It's a personal matter." Neville said, his cheeks were turning slightly pink.

"Neville has been secretly feeding me birth control pills since May!" Luna blurted out, causing Neville to turn full on red. Everyone gasped. "I only found out this morning when I practically choked to death on a pill I found in my muffin."

"You've been what?" Tonks asked, in shock as well. Everyone knew that Neville and Luna were trying to have kids. Neville mumbled something.

"Wait a second, Neville has his side of the story." Lupin said. Everyone turned their attention to Neville.

"I was scared!" Neville admitted. He buried his face in his hands. "I thought it would be great to have a kid…before. But seeing my friends go through it made me realize that it wasn't going to be all fun and games."

"Did you think to tell me any of this?" Luna asked, before Tonks or Lupin could say something.

"No." Neville mumbled.

"Why?" Sasha asked from her seat on the floor. Everyone turned to look at her but then right back at Neville when he answered Sasha's question.

"Because Luna wants kids and she can handle them. I can't." Neville said.

"So you were going to let her think she couldn't have kids?" Angelina asked, skeptically.

"Eventually I would have been ready." Neville said. It was obvious that even as he was saying it, he realized how ridiculous he sounded. "I mean…"

"Do you or do you not want kids?" Luna asked.

"I do." Neville said. "I'm just afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Fred asked.

"Afraid of going into something you aren't ready to handle." Harry answered for him. "And afraid that everything's going to change and you aren't going to notice until nothing's the same anymore." Everyone turned to look at Harry except Neville who was looking at Luna and Ginny who was looking at the floor.

"Yeah. That's it." Neville said, looking at Luna.

"But I'll be here." Luna assured him, kindly. "And we'll do this together and things are going to change…but for the good."

"How about we make a deal." Neville suggested. "When we get home we'll talk about this together and I promise I won't feed you anymore birth control pills when you aren't looking."

"Fine." Luna said. "It's a deal." They shook hands to seal the deal.

"Sasha and Trey." Tonks said. She turned her gaze from the couple who had halfway made up to the couple who were sitting on opposite sides of the room. Sasha folded her arms across her chest and looked away from Trey.

"I got a job offer with the Gazette in California but Sasha won't even talk about it with me." Trey said. "She's coming up with excuses of why we shouldn't move but she's not giving the idea a chance."

"Because it's stupid." Sasha said, stubbornly. I looked at Ron who looked like he wanted to say something.

"This is a good opportunity for me career-wise." Trey protested.

"But you have a career. Why do you need to do the same thing all the way across an ocean?" Sasha asked.

"The more I'm involved in this project, the higher my position will get. Sash, we can buy a house and in a few years have a family. If I go, I'll have a raise and a higher position. I don't want to leave either; I've lived here for twelve years of my life but think of what this could do for us. If I stay in the Gazette here I'll just go back to being another journalist, waiting for my big story to get my name out there." Trey said. Sasha's look softened and she looked like she felt bad.

"I'd like that and it would be nice for you to get ahead in your job but I can't leave here. Paris is where our home together is."

Ron interrupted before Trey could say protest. "I think we have a position to offer you here at the French Gazette." Ron said. "In the next couple months, Jacques and I are supposed to be narrowing down the candidates to fill the jobs here. As much as I'd like it if you came to California with us, I think you're better off here where you two are comfortable. I know this isn't quite the job you would have with the International Gazette and it's not as big of a raise but would you consider being the Managing Editor for the Gazette here?"

Trey looked hopeful and Sasha looked beyond ecstatic.

"Really?" Trey asked. "You can do that for me?"

"No, I'm doing it because what's best for the French Gazette is if you stay here. In the past months I've seen what a valuable asset to the paper here in Paris and I think you would do the job good." Ron said, smiling.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sasha exclaimed, jumping up and running to her husband. She threw her arms around Trey's neck in celebration. I smiled at Ron, loving him even more for doing something like that. Trey was a good worker and he deserved the job but for Ron to selflessly give up a good employee of the International Gazette so that he could stay here was an amazing thing.

"But you two can't move to California either!" Fred protested before Tonks and Lupin could address their problem with us.

"If they live in another country then we'll never get to know our niece!" George protested.

"This decision is not up to you. It is up to my wife and I and we're doing what we think is best for our child." Ron said, sounding very mature.

"Then move back to England if you don't want to live in Paris!" Harry shouted.

"After the baby's born we're applying for International Apparation Licenses so we can travel back and forth to England. This is a really great opportunity for Ron and we think our daughter will be happy, living in California with the beach as her backyard."

"But it won't be the same." Fred said.

"It's not up for discussion." Ron said.

"Shouldn't it be a family discussion?" George asked.

"It is." Ron answered. "Our family." He pointed at himself and I.

"We'll be back a lot." I assured them. "We're going to take the baby to visit her family every weekend but I'm going to school in California, Ron's working in California, the baby's going to daycare in California, and we're living in California."

"It's not the same." Harry protested.

"We don't even see each other that often now." I said. Harry, Fred and George looked at each other.

"That was going to change when the baby came." George said. It suddenly hit why they were so upset.

"You though we were going to move back to London after the baby was born and the year was up, didn't you?" I asked. Harry, Fred, and George were looking anywhere but us.

"If it wasn't California we would be staying here." Ron informed them.

"Did you know that you're the only part of the family that doesn't live within Apparating distance?" Fred asked. "We won't be able to come visit you without taking a Portkey trip and spending the night because you'll be hours ahead or behind, or something like that."

"You can't." Harry said simply.

"We are." Ron assured them. "We're sorry you feel that way but we are."

"I think I want to move here." Ginny blurted out again. It changed the subject. Everyone turned to look at her. "To Paris." She finished, looking at Harry with hope.

"Not you too!" George exclaimed, exasperated.

"Why?" Harry asked. "Our lives are in London. Our child's family is in England." He looked directly at Ron and I when he said this.

"I think I feel at home in Paris." Ginny said. "You know the feeling you get when you are just comfortable somewhere, like you could live there? I feel like that here."

"What are we going to do here?" Harry asked. He was very angry. Partially at Ron and I and partially at Ginny.

"I'd open another _Ginny Potter_ store here." She informed him. "And you could take the Chunnel to practice in the morning and come home at night. I just feel like this is where I want to be and where I want to raise my child." Harry looked like he was going to say something in angry retort but didn't. Ginny sat there with her hand on her stomach, waiting.

"Oh come on Harry! We've been looking for a house for weeks but we can't find a place where we see ourselves and our child. We can find a house here. You even said right after the first time we came that you really like the city atmosphere in Paris."

"Where is this coming from?" I asked Ginny.

"I've been going over the idea for the past week. I didn't know how to tell Harry." Ginny said.

"So you yelled it out while everyone else was arguing?" Harry asked. Ginny shrugged.

"It seemed appropriate." She said. "Everyone else was getting their problems out. I didn't think that you would be that mad at me."

"I'm not mad." Harry said. "This is just something big. We're talking about moving to another country. I think we should discuss this more."

"That's fair." Ginny said smiling. Somehow I think she knew that she was going to end up here.

"Anyone else?" Lupin asked. No one said anything.

"So Neville and Luna are going to discuss having a child, Trey and Sasha are staying here and Trey is the Managing Editor, Ron and Hermione moving to California is non-debatable, and Ginny and Harry are thinking of moving to Paris." Tonks said, summing it all up.

"Well since no one really values what I say, we're moving to Portugal!" Fred announced.

"I'm going to Germany." George said, sarcastically.

"Listen," I started. "Ron and I love the entire family and we're going to miss you but we promise that you will know your niece and you'll be her favorite uncles. Where we live will not change that, nothing can. You're welcome to come visit us anytime you want and we'll be visiting all the time."

What I said didn't completely fix the issue with Fred and George but I think the issue was resolved for now. They didn't say anything else because at that moment Midnight darted into the center of the group and Penny was following at a rapid pace. She was going too fast and was about to topple over when Harry caught her. He lifted her up and she giggled. He looked down at the laughing baby and over at Ginny. In his eyes I could tell he was thinking about what Ginny said and making a decision.

xxx

"Bye, thanks for coming." I waved at Tonks and Lupin as they headed out later that day. "Bye Penny Girl." I said. I kissed her forehead.

"Bye!" Penny exclaimed. She waved until they made it down the stairs. I turned back to Ron.

"I know, I can't wait either." Ron said, responding to my unspoken statement. He put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head.

"We're going to head home too." Luna said.

"Yep, we've got a big discussion to have." Neville said, looking slightly afraid.

"Good luck." I said.

"Thanks." Neville smiled and followed Luna out the door. Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia were next to leave.

"Have fun telling mum." Fred said.

"I'm sure she'll be ecstatic." George said, smirking.

"Please don't be mad at us." I said.

"We could never be mad at you, Hermione." George said, hugging me.

"Yeah, you're carrying our niece." Fred added, hugging me. I laughed.

"Goodbye." Angelina said, pushing her husband out the door.

"See you soon!" Alicia said, talking to my stomach. She placed a hand on my stomach before following the others out. I turned back to the living room where Sasha, Trey, Harry and Ginny were.

"Is everyone in here ok or will I have to call Tonks and Lupin back?" I asked jokingly.

"We're all fine." Ginny assured us. "And where we want to be." She smirked at Harry who did not take his gaze from her stomach.

"Good." I smiled and fell onto the couch. I was twenty. My twentieth birthday had officially come and gone. Next month I would be a twenty-year-old mother. I took a deep breath and tried to brace myself for what was to come in October.

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!!**


	19. Black Cats

**A/n: So we get closer to the birth of their child. It's an exciting thing to write...and I just finished writing it! As soon as I get ten reviews I'll update with the next chapter!!!**

**Hope you like this one!!!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

_The white walls of the healer's office looked as daunting as ever. The door swung open and a large, menacing and unfamiliar healer stormed into the room. I sat there terrified with a stomach at least ten times bigger than it was yesterday. _

_"You're going to be pregnant for nine more months!" The healer exclaimed in a voice meant for the Wicked Witch of the West. _

_"W-what?" I sputtered. _

_"And you're going to get even bigger!" She shouted, cackling. _

_"No!" I shouted. "No, no, no! She's due next week! No!" _

I rolled over and continued to moan, "No, no, no!"

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed. He placed a hand on my back and I opened my eyes, in fear. The room that surrounded me was not the daunting healer's office but my own bedroom in my home in Paris. I looked down and let out a scream.

"I'm still pregnant!" I exclaimed, in fear. The tears were rushing out of my eyes like a waterfall.

"Hermione, you're due date isn't until next week." Ron said. "It's only the nineteenth. We haven't even left Paris yet."

"Really?" I asked, trying as hard as I could to keep my breathing steady.

"Yeah." Ron assured me in a serious tone. This wasn't the first time that I had woken up, terrified from a nightmare I had. I placed my hands over my almost nine-month bump.

"Can you believe that she'll be here in one week?" I asked, smiling. Ron ran his thumbs over my cheeks to clear the tears.

"I know." He said, sounding excited. "I can't wait." I smiled and leaned back against the headboard, yawning. Tomorrow we were headed for London where we would be for the next week until the baby was born. We would be back in Paris at least two days after she was born but we did want her to be born in England.

My eyelids began to lower as sleep began to overtake me. I breathed out once more and thought of seeing my baby coming in the next week. Hopefully the next few hours of sleep would be good ones.

The next morning I awoke with the urge to pee. Boy, I sure wasn't going to miss that. I went through my normal morning routine but this time instead of giving Midnight food, I placed her in a pet carry case (with food!) and placed it by our suitcases in the hallway. I was dressed in a pair of maternity jeans (the kind of jeans I hated with a passion) and a navy sweater top that went over a white tank top. Fall was finally here. It was October nineteenth and getting chillier! On my feet I wore a pair of navy and white sneakers and as for being nearly nine months pregnant, I was as comfortable as I could get.

"Ready babe?" Ron asked. He was wearing a pair of jeans, sneakers and a green t-shirt.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I said, taking a deep breath. What I was doing was not going to London for the week but going to London to give birth. Whether she came before or on October twenty-sixth, I was only going to England for one thing...to have my daughter.

"Good." Ron leaned over and gave me a kiss. He lifted his suitcase and my suitcase while I lifted Midnight's carry case. We were going to leave her with Sasha and Trey but I couldn't bear to leave her for a whole week and plus, Sasha and Trey would be coming up for the birth anyways.

We arrived in London after a very long Chunnel ride and then headed directly for Harry and Ginny's flat. Actually it was Harry and Ginny's flat in London. They were currently working on looking for a nice place in Paris. Mainly they were going to be living in Paris but they were still keeping their place in London. I think they made a mature, compromised decision.

"Hey!" Harry said when he saw us at the door.

"MEOOOOOWW!" Midnight hissed when Harry came closer. I stifled a giggle as Harry backed off with his arms up in the air.

"Why did you bring _that_ with you?" Harry asked.

"Midnight couldn't be alone for all this time." I said, stating the obvious. I watched Harry squirm as I pulled the latch open and Midnight jumped out, walking along the carpeted living room floor like she owned the place.

"Great, now I feel like a victim in my own home." Harry said. Midnight eyed him, trying to engage him in a glating contest.

"Look, Harry, she's a really friendly cat." Ron lifted Midnight up; she took to Ron instantly. "I think, she senses something's up with you." Ron pointed out, narrowing his eyes at Harry.

"It's a cat, Ron. Not your daughter." Harry said. The way he said it was nervous and he looked slightly guilty.

"What did you do to my cat?" I questioned his suspicious actions.

"I did nothing to Midnight." Harry said. Midnight hissed again. "Those eyes." Harry said. "They look just like Crookshanks."

"Crookshanks was a different kind of cat." I said. "But what's you're point? Why are you brining Crookshanks up?"

"All cat's are the same to me." Harry said, trying to shrug it off. Midnight hissed again. "Ok, ok…it was me! It's my fault that Crookshanks disappeared."

"What?" I asked, suddenly the news interested me.

"He was following Ginny and I around when I was trying to tell her that I liked her and he got in the way so I stepped on his tail and he kind of attacked me…it really hurt and we were somewhat into the Forbidden Forest but I scared him into an unknown path. Needless to say, Ginny didn't take that too well so she didn't know that I liked her, in that moment but I never saw Crookshanks after that." Harry said. "And I've felt guilty about that ever since."

Ron and I looked at each other and then suddenly laughed.

"It's not funny." Harry said. "I can't be around another cat without the paranoia that it knows what I did to Crookshanks."

"You didn't scare Crookshanks away." I said, through laughter.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Ginny told us about what happened and how she saved Crookshanks afterwards. You might not have seen him since but I saw him every day for a week after but he would always go back into the Forbidden Forest. Then he stopped coming home." I laughed again. "I thought you were going to say you killed him." Harry looked appalled.

"How come I didn't know this? I've been racked with guilt for years and you didn't say anything?"

"How come you didn't tell us you threw him into the unknown woods?" Ron countered. "…not that I liked him much anyways." Harry shrugged.

"So we're even?" Harry asked.

"Ask her." Ron said, holding Midnight up to Harry's face. Harry looked wearily at the cat with what looked like an angry scowl.

"Are…we…even?" Harry awkwardly asked the cat. Midnight seemed to be looking him over. She purred fiercely and then softly. It seemed to be a way of warning Harry. Then she jumped out of Ron's arms and settled herself comfortably on the couch.

"Are they here yet?" A frantic Ginny ran in from the front door with dress bags trailing behind her. It was completely unfair but she did not look like she gained much weight at all except for the seven-month bump. Me on the other hand, I felt it in my face, hips, thighs, ass, and arms. I couldn't wait to get back to my old size.

"You're here!" Ginny exclaimed when she saw us. "And my niece is almost here too!" She hugged me (the best hug we could manage with my large belly) and hugged Ron too. She grabbed a camera from a counter and snapped a picture before we could say 'cheese'.

"We are going to document every moment of the next week before she is born! This is going to be great!" Ginny exclaimed ecstatically. She snapped a picture of Midnight lazing on the couch and then one of my belly.

This was sure going to be _fun_….

xxx

"I just wanted to say that this has been really great and I wanted to thank you all for being there to support us through this." I smiled at everyone surrounding us. Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia smiled back and everyone got up to hug Ron and I. It was the day of my due date and we had met in the bookshop. I felt like I had to conclude this pregnancy by thanking the ones that had been extremely supportive through all of this and were having the hardest time accepting the move (that is until we told our parents).

"As excited as I am for the next part of this, I really am going to miss being pregnant." Ginny snapped another annoying picture as I hugged Fred and Ron hugged Angelina.

"You know, when your baby comes, I'm taking a video camera and permanently attaching it to my head so I can 'document every moment up until the birth'!" Ron said, mocking Ginny.

"You'll thank me later after Kaia is born." Ginny said, scrolling through the pictures she had already taken on her digital camera.

"Or Addison." Ron countered, very annoyed with her.

"Whatever you say bro." Ginny said. She winked at me like the two of us had already decided that her name would be Kaia….did I agree to that? "Now let's get one of all of you together. Harry get in there too." Ginny instructed. I was praying for my water to break any moment now but I hadn't even felt the slightest contraction. Maybe she was going to come later on when Ginny wasn't being so annoying…

xxx

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, blatantly to Healer Statham.

"Your due date was just an approximation for when she might come. Nothing was certain. It may be tomorrow or it may be a week from now." Healer Statham repeated although I understood her perfectly the first time.

"But I want her out of me!" I shouted. It was two days past my due date and I was ready for the pregnancy part of this whole thing to be over!

"Hermione, it's not a big deal. She'll probably come by tomorrow." Ron said, trying to comfort me.

"That's easy for you to say, you aren't a million pounds and have to push a baby out of you! I just want to get it over with!" I cried in frustration. Ron knew enough to shut up rather then keep the fight going.

"Here's a list of things you can do to induce labor. I hope we'll be seeing her soon." Healer Statham said, trying to make a quick exit. If only my baby was trying to do the same!

"Thank you." I said, forcing a smile. As soon as she left the room a scowl replaced the smile on my face.

Ron looked terrified to be alone with me. I thought about purposely messing with him but then I didn't really feel like it. All I really felt like doing was pushing this baby out of me…NOW!

"So it might be a few more days." Ron said to Harry and Ginny as they sat in the living room with Neville and Luna and I sat uncomfortably in a kitchen chair at the kitchen table later that day. They all looked over at me and as soon as I caught them I gave them all an evil glare. I would have yelled but I was just too annoyed to bother. I shifted uncomfortably when they had all turned their gaze back to their little circle.

"Well you'll be here for my Halloween party on the thirtieth in two days then!" Ginny announced happily.

"I don't think so!" I couldn't refrain from shouting. "We have tried every damn thing on that list to make this baby come out and NOTHING has worked today. She is getting out of me by tomorrow or I'm pushing her out with or without her consent. We will NOT be around for your little _Halloween party_." I said. I was very irritable. They turned back to each other. So far Harry, Ginny and Ron had devised a plan to ignore me when I got angry like this. All it managed to do was piss me off more.

"We might be there." Ron confirmed. I took an apple from the centerpiece of the kitchen table and chucked it at his head. I missed but some stress was relieved in throwing that.

"Uh, are you ok?" Luna asked me, turning around and looking concerned. I almost didn't snap…almost.

"Ya know what Luna?" I asked rudely. "You try carrying a baby in your uterus who, I'm pretty sure is going to come out a freakin' toddler, for nine months and two days and then find out that it might be longer and…I'm so uncomfortable right now!" I said. I waited for Luna to falter and apologize for asking but she didn't flinch. She waited a second, stood up and came over to sit in the chair next to me.

"I'm sorry. I have no idea what you're going through but I'm sure it's tough. We're all here for you though and we want to make this easier on you." Luna said. The fact that she wasn't bothered by my retort bothered me slightly but she was also being nice and even though my hormones were going crazy, I couldn't be mean to her.

"Thanks." I muttered.

"When I'm going through this – hopefully in nine months – and I'm angry and unbearable, I know you'll show me some sympathy." She patted her flat stomach that made me extremely jealous.

"Thanks for being understanding but really Luna, I don't wish this on anyone. If you want a baby adopt. Or find a way to make Neville carry it for you." I said. Luna chuckled.

"I'm sure when you finally have your baby, it'll be different." Luna assured me.

"Maybe." I shrugged. Ron came over as well and put his hand on my shoulders.

"It will be." Ron said. I managed a smile for the first time that day.

As uncomfortable as I was, I was happy for the moment...but she was coming out tomorrow!

x

Two days later I was still pregnant and as big as ever. I was also dressed as a black cat. I had refused to dress up but Ginny stuck a pair of cat ears on me (she came towards me with black eyeliner to draw whiskers but I threatened to bite her hand off unfortunately she won and I now had whiskers drawn on my face) and I was wearing a black sweater and jeans. Ginny on the other hand had gotten excited about the holiday and was dressed in one of her gowns that she specially made and she had a tiara on looking like a seven month pregnant princess. Harry was dressed as her prince charming and although Ron was not into it as much as Ginny, he was dressed as a pirate. The house was decorated as if it was a spooky old mansion and music was currently blasting from the speakers while people joined the party. It was only the thirtieth but since Halloween was on a Sunday Ginny wanted to have the party on a Saturday.

At the party, sitting on the couch I learned several things about former classmates. Susan Bones-Smith and Zacharis Smith the newlyweds were expecting a child in April but they had wanted one and it wasn't unexpected. Other newlyweds Hannah and Ernie Macmillan were considering a child at the moment. There were also some rumors about Lavender Finnegan being pregnant and a quick impromptu wedding for Parvati and Dean…sounded slightly suspicious. The only joy I got out of that was knowing that in nine months Lavender Finnegan and Parvati Thomas would be going through what I'm going through. I didn't know what it was but suddenly I get pregnant and then the entire world gets pregnant. It's like I was a trendsetter for being a mum or something.

"Care to dance, beautiful?" Ron asked, holding out his hand to me and interrupting my thoughts.

"I can barely move Ronald, and you want me to dance?" I asked.

"Well come on Mione. You can't mope around for the rest of the night." Ron said, lifting up his eye patch and looking at me. I laughed at him while he helped me to a standing position.

"One quick dance and then I am going to bed." I said. "I can't wait to have more nightmares about giving birth to a baby with a giant head."

"That's the spirit." Ron said, as we moved to the music. I yawned and rested my head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I'm being such a bitch." I said, being freank about it. "But this is driving me crazy. I was supposed to be a mum by now."

"I know." Ron said, stroking my hair. "I was looking forward to being a dad."

"But you don't have to carry her inside of you and then push her out." I protested in a whiny voice.

"Hon, I would if I could." Ron assured me.

"Yeah, righ–OH!" I let go of Ron and looked down. A smile broke out on my face when I realized what happened. My water broke. It was time!

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, causing the other party guests to turn and look. "The baby's coming! We're supposed to…" Ron began turning in circles, going over what needed to be done.

"Ron, honey." I said as politely as possible. "We need to get to the hospital NOW!" I smiled at him while he looked at me, scared.

"Right! Of course!" Ron ran into the bedroom and came back with my hospital bag and our jackets. He was breathing heavily and frantically telling me what needed to be done. Honestly my water just broke and I was calmer than him. I had to get him to calm down…so I slapped him across the face. "OW!" He finally exclaimed looking shocked instead of scared or worried.

"Ron we're having a baby." I said, smiling and announcing the news like I'd planned it when I'd imagined my water breaking. I leaned in to kiss his stunned face and he smiled.

"Yeah, we are." He said.

"Come on people, let's get moving!" Ginny said excitedly. "Fred you call mum and dad, George call Hermione's parents, and everyone we'll see you at the hospital!"

Ron kissed my cheek and helped me into my jacket. People yelled out good luck and other encouraging things as we walked out the door.

This was it! I was finally having my baby!

**10 REVIEWS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	20. Baby Girl Weasley

**a/n: Thank you all for the reviews!!! You guys are the coolest! Can we try that again...ten reviews?? **

**I did watch the episode of Friends where Rachel had Emma when I wrote this. I needed something to go off of because I really wasn't too sure but I think it turned out decent.**

**Ok as for the name...some want Addison...some want Kaia...it will definitely be a surprise with the name that they choose for their child.  
**

"What do you mean Healer Statham isn't here yet?" I yelled at the receptionist. If she was frightened by my angry pregnant mood she didn't show it. More than likely she had dealt with women in my position before.

"She is at another hospital with another woman in labor but she should be here as soon as she can." She responded calmly.

"Listen here." I said, standing up from the wheelchair that I was forced into the second I entered the hospital. "I am four days later than my due date. My water just broke and I am terrified about giving birth to a baby with a giant head. I want Healer Statham here NOW!"

"Mrs. Weasley that isn't possible at the moment." She said, calmly again. I was close to slapping her calm face. "She is tied up at the moment. For now we can put you in a room and have another Healer come look at you."

"Ron." I said, looking over at him and falling back into the wheelchair. "Take care of this." Ron was on it. On the taxi ride over he had calmed down and he was in control.

"Is there any way that you can contact Healer Statham and let her know that Hermione Weasley is in labor? She's been through this whole pregnancy with us and she was the one that was supposed to be there for the birth of our daughter." Ron explained calmly.

"I'm sorry there is nothing I can do but show you the room." The receptionist said.

"I refuse to give birth until Healer Statham is here!" I protested but at that moment I felt my first contraction coming on. My hands flew to my stomach. "Ow!" I tried to breathe but the contraction hurt really bad.

"Hermione." Ron said, worriedly kneeling down in front of my wheelchair. The contraction passed and I took a couple of deep breaths.

"Would you like a room?" The receptionist asked.

"Fine." I said, crossing my arms across my chest. "But I want to know the second Healer Statham gets here."

"Are you ok?" Ron asked pushing hair away from my face.

"Fine now." I shrugged. I turned to look at the people in the waiting room. There was Ginny the expecting princess and Harry her loving prince, Luna as tinkerbell, Neville as Peter Pan, Fred and George as twin jesters, Angelina as Glenda the Good Witch, Alicia as a dead bride, and a few others from the party who were dressed just as extravagantly. It was funny but I really wasn't in the mood to laugh.

x

"Ok, just breath. In and out." Ron instructed, trying to be helpful. All he succeeded in doing was making me want to ring his neck. At the moment I was just getting through another contraction and trying to rid my head of all thoughts of murder. My baby was coming into a peaceful environment.

Healer Statham still wasn't there yet. Another Healer, Healer Brown had come in and done the exam. I protested but gave in because she promised that she was doing everything she could to figure out when Healer Statham could get there. Unfortunately she had bad news for me after the exam. I was only two centimeters dilated and I needed to get to ten. This was going to be one long night. It was only eight and I had eight centimeters to go.

"Look at you. Already an hour of labor and you still look beautiful Hermione." I turned to the door to see Molly and Arthur coming into the room. Arthur had teddy bears and balloons in his arms.

"Hi." I said, smiling at my in-laws.

"I thought I might brighten up the room a little bit." Arthur said. "Harry mentioned that you were a little upset so I went to the gift shop to cheer you up."

"Aw, that's sweet." I said. "Thank you."

"Hermione, you're parents are on their way." Molly said. She gave me a kiss on my forehead.

"It's going to be a while mum." Ron said. "Hermione is only dilated two centimeters."

"You're in for a rough night." Molly assured me. "But just know that you'll have one of the most precious things in life when this is all over." I smiled at Molly as Harry entered the room. He tossed a bag of clothing at Ron.

"Here mate. You look ridiculous." Harry said.

"That's coming from the man dressed like a prince." Ron said, chuckling.

"Shall I take back my clothes?" Harry asked. Ron stopped laughing.

"No." Ron muttered, heading for the bathroom to change. Harry turned to me.

"How are you holding up?" He asked.

"Eh, the contractions come and go." I shrugged.

"I'm about to head home and change. Need anything while I'm there?" Harry asked.

"But you just got back." I protested.

"Ginny made me bring something back for Ron. I promise we'll be back in a half hour." Harry assured me.

"Bring Healer Statham with you, when you get back." I said, frowning.

"I'll try." Harry said. He gave my hand a squeeze before leaving. I let out a breath of air while Ron came back out of the bathroom. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Ron, you're still wearing the eye patch." I pointed out.

"I know." Ron smiled as he lifted the eye patch off. "I thought it was kind of cool." I laughed but then it turned into a moan.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!" I exclaimed. Ron gave me his hand to squeeze.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Molly asked. She was taking off her jacket and setting it on a chair. She walked over to my side and pulled my hair back and into a ponytail.

"I'm going to go back out to the waiting room. Yell if you need anything." Arthur said. I looked over at Ron, urging him to tell his mother what we'd discussed.

"Mum, are you going to go with dad?" Ron asked. I felt bad that we were asking this of her but we'd discussed it many times and wanted it to be just the two of us so no mother or godmother felt left out.

"No, of course not." Molly said. "I'll be helping you through this." I looked down at my hands while Ron spoke again.

"Mum, we'd love to have you in here but Hermione and I talked about this and we kind of wanted it to be just the two of us in the delivery room." Ron said.

"It's just that we've went over these options with Healer Statham and we'd like it if just us, the parents, there." I added.

"Of course." Molly said. She looked slightly hurt but she understood. "If you need anything just let me know." She kissed my forehead and left the room.

"She took that news ok." Ron said. "How do you think she'll do with the California news?"

"Better than my mum, that's for sure." I replied. I rested my head back against the pillow. "Ron?" I asked.

"Yes, love?"

"Are you scared?" I asked as tears began forming. "Because I'm terrified." Ron took my hand again and sat down on the corner of my bed.

"I'm just as scared." Ron answered. "I thought about this a lot in the past couple days and I have absolutely no idea how me, who is just barely an adult, is going to raise a child." This was not the answer I was hoping for. I was hoping that he would tell me things would be fine and we'd both be great parents but it was also comforting to know that I was not alone.

"What are we going to do?" I asked. "Are we just supposed to take her home and make believe that we know what we're doing?" Ron chuckled and rested his head against mine.

"I don't know." He responded. "But we'll get through this. I promise." He kissed me and I believed him.

"Oh, here comes another." I said, squeezing my eyes shut and reaching for the comfort of Ron's hand.

x

"How's my girl holding up?" I looked up to see my dad standing at the door.

"Hi dad." I said. I was already three hours into labor and not dilated anymore. Ron had left quickly to get me water. "I'm hanging in there." I responded.

"You're doing fine." Dad said. "Your mum went with Molly to get some tea but I think she'll stop by in a bit. She's a little upset that you don't want her in the delivery room."

"Just Ron and I." I said. "It's nothing against her or Molly."

"I understand." Dad said. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

"I'm fine." I assured him.

"I'll be in the waiting room if you need me." Dad said. He gave me a hug and left the room, leaving me alone.

x

Into hour ten I was ecstatic to know that Healer Statham had returned. The oncoming contraction only ruined my mood slightly.

"Let's have a look." Healer Statham said.

"Please tell me I'm almost there." I begged. The frown on her face gave me my answer.

"We're moving along, just slowly." She said.

"How slowly?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Three centimeters." She answered. I swore loudly.

"That's it?" I asked. "I've been here for ten hours and that's it?"

"Just hang in there Hermione." Healer Statham said.

"I'm trying." I replied. She left the room.

"Why me? What did I do to deserve this torture?" I asked Ron. "Does my daughter really hate me this much...already?"

"No, she doesn't hate you." Ron assured me. "She's just comfortable in there and isn't ready to come out." Ron said.

"Aw, Ron that's sweet." I said. "But go feed your bullshit to someone who isn't ready to strangle the next person to piss me off."

"That's not going to be me right?" Ron asked, wearily.

"No way. I am not going through this alone." I assured Ron. "You I might wait to strangle until after she turns one and is easy to manage." Ron laughed.

"You're doing fine." He assured me.

"Well just so you know, this is the last one." I said. "This one better be good because no more children after this."

"I can deal with that." Ron said, lifting up his crushed hand. "Or maybe we'll just give it a couple of years...you know until my hand heals fully."

"No more." I said, sternly.

"Think on it." Ron said as Harry and Ginny came into the room.

"Has your mum come in yet?" Ginny asked with a yawn (it was six in the morning after all. Ginny had a camera around her neck but she was either too tired to take the pictures or afraid I was going to murder her. I shook my head.

"Damn it!" I shouted, feeling another contraction coming. "Ow! OW! OWWW!" It passed and I wiped at the tears in my eyes.

"I've decided to have a c-section." Ginny announced.

"And I second that idea." Harry agreed.

"Ron make them go away before I have to curse them." I said, reaching for my wand on the table by my bed.

"I've got it." Ron said, fishing my wand out of his back pocket. "Healer Brown suggested I hold on to it so you don't curse the Healer, delivering our baby." I frowned at him.

"Listen." Ginny said, yawning. "I'm going to go back in the waiting room and close my eyes for a few minutes but let me know if anything changes."

"Gin, I highly doubt I will be getting any further in the next couple hours. You should go home and rest." I said as I watched her yawn again.

"No. I want to be here." Ginny said. "I just need to rest my eyes."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded and exited the room. Harry immediately turned back to us. "Remember how Ginny and I were waiting to find out the sex of the baby?" Harry asked.

"Yeah." Ron said while I only nodded. I was tired as well.

"Well I found out." Harry said.

"What?" Ron and I asked at the same time, in shock. Ginny had been very firm when she decided to wait until the baby was born.

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "I've been planning this thing for Ginny for the past month and I wanted it to be a surprise but I had to figure out whether it was a boy or a girl to see what color the room had to be."

"Wait a second, back up." I said. "Room?"

"I bought us a place in Paris." Harry announced happily. "It's this amazing place, I only saw it once briefly but Sasha's been helping me decorate since she's in Paris. We'll be able to move in soon. I wanted it to be a surprise for her and you two as well."

"Where is it?" Ron asked.

"What is it?" I asked at the same time. I was more interested in whether it was a goddaughter or a godson.

"I don't know if I should say." Harry said.

"Then why did you tELL–OWWWWWWWWWWWW!" I squeezed Ron's hand again, unprepared for this contraction. "Why did you tell us if you weren't going to tell us?"

"Because I wanted to tell you about the new place." Harry answered. "I thought that was a good starting point."

"Harry…I have been in labor for almost eleven hours now! The least you can do is tell me whether my daughter will have a boy cousin or a girl cousin!" I shouted angrily.

"It's a boy." Harry said.

"Aw, really?" I asked, smiling. My best friends for seven years of my life were boys.

"No. It's a girl." Harry said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Harry you're an asshole! But I'm so happy for you!" I exclaimed. I reached out my arms for a hug but felt another contraction. I screamed out a stream of swears. "I really am happy for you!" I said as the contraction ended.

"Me too." Harry said, as he awkwardly backed up towards the door. "I was thinking about it and it could actually be great. I can see her being like a little Ginny."

"Harry that's great." Ron said.

"Thanks! Don't tell Ginny!" Harry exited the room, leaving us alone again.

x

At twenty hours I was still in the same situation. Everyone in the Weasley family had come to visit at least once, my father had come to check on me several times, and Molly had ducked in a few times to make sure things were going smoothly (she was slightly distant but at least she still cared). My mother had not stopped in to visit once. I was told she was in the hospital but I hadn't seen her.

"Need anything?" Molly poked her head into the room. "I just saw Ron going up to get a cup of tea with Harry."

"I'd just like someone to sit with me for a few minutes until he gets back." I said. Molly smiled and came to sit in the chair by my bed.

"How are you feeling?" Molly asked.

"Tired." I answered. "And just ready to have my baby."

"You are ready, Hermione." Molly said, grabbing my hand. "And you're going to be a wonderful mother." I turned my head so she wouldn't see the fountain of tears running down my cheeks.

"I don't know." I admitted, choking down a sob.

"Hermione." Molly said, standing up to hug me. "This is normal for a first time mother to be terrified. You'll do fine. When you see her, your whole world will light up. Trust me when she's born you'll know what to do. It's natural instinct." Coming from Molly this meant a lot.

"Thank you." I said, smiling at her and wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Of course." Molly said. She smiled at me.

"I'm sorry about before." I said.

"Forget about it." Molly said. "I understand." I smiled at her.

"You know, she's going to love coming to the Burrow and seeing her Grammy and Grandpa." I said, rubbing my belly. Molly smiled even bigger.

"I'm glad." Molly said. Ron came back into the room then.

"Thanks mum." Ron said. Molly stood up and turned to hug me.

"You'll be a great mum. Don't worry." She whispered before letting go and hugging Ron. She left the room, leaving Ron and I. I smiled at Ron.

"You're smiling." Ron pointed out. "I think after twenty hours you've gone delusional." I laughed.

"Probably." I said and felt another contraction coming on.

x

"You've got to get her out of me." I sobbed to Healer Statham. "Or give me some potion or something!" I exclaimed. I had been in labor for twenty-seven hours.

"I don't have to." Healer Statham said, smiling. "You're ten centimeters. You're ready to give birth."

"Yeah?" I asked, happily. Ron kissed me and although I was in pain, I was happy.

x

"Come on Hermione, push!" Healer Statham instructed.

"I can't!" I cried. "I can't push anymore!"

"Yes, you can Hermione." Ron said by my side. "Just push."

"No, Ron I can't." I said, crying.

"Hermione, I know you can." Ron said. I believed him and gave it everything I had. I let out a loud scream as I pushed.

"One big one, Hermione!" Healer Statham said. "She's almost out."

"I can see her head!" Ron announced. I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped Ron's hand tightly. "Hermione she's coming! I can see her, keep pushing!" I pushed as hard as I could. "'Mione, she's here!" Ron announced happily as Healer Statham lifted her up. "She's perfect." He whispered. Tears stung my eyes as I looked at the little life that had just come out of me.

"She's beautiful." I declared, upon seeing her. Healer Statham handed her off to the nurse. "Wait, where's she going?"

"They're cleaning her off." Ron said. He came back to my side. "Do you believe that we made her?" Ron asked. I looked up at him and he looked overjoyed.

"Here she is." Healer Statham said, handing over a little bundle wrapped in pink. I opened my arms out to hold my daughter. More tears fell as I held her but these were tears of extreme happiness. She began crying in my arms.

"Shhh. It's all right, baby." I whispered. She stirred a little and her eyes opened, beautiful blue eyes. "She's looking at me!" I exclaimed happily.

"C–can I hold her?" Ron asked.

"Here she is." I said, carefully handing my daughter to her father.

"Wow." Ron said looking at her with the same blue eyes that she was looking back up at him with. Tears began forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Do we have a name yet?" Healer Statham asked. I shook my head.

"We're not sure yet." I informed her, watching Ron and our daughter.

"We'll call her Baby Girl Weasley for now." Healer Statham said.

"She's incredible." Ron said. He handed my daughter back to me. "I love you." He said to me. I looked up at him and smiled.

"I love you too." I said. He leaned down and kissed me and then lightly kissed our daughter on the forehead.

**REVIEW PLEASE!!! Their naming her in the next chapter!!!!!!!!!!**


	21. Amazingly Perfect, Adorable Little Girl

**a/n: Ok so some people like the name Kaia...and others like Addison. I personally like...well you can read and find out. If you'd like an explanation on why I chose the name I chose you can see the bottom. I hope no one is mad at me for not picking which name they wanted. The truth is every name I mentioned in the story whether it was when they were playing the name game or the final two...I like them all so just when you find out the name I hope you like it:)**

**Well thanks reviewers!!!! Ten more?????**

**Here we go again!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

"Do you realize that she was born on Halloween?" Ron asked as we sat in my hospital room, waiting for the baby to come back.

"Yeah." I smiled. "Can you imagine every year on Halloween we throw her this big birthday party and she dresses like a little princess?"

"Or a Quidditch player." Ron shrugged. I laughed. I was sleep deprived and worn out but at least I was clean and changed from the very uncomfortable hospital gown. I was now wearing a gray pair of "best mommy in the world" print pajama pants and a matching tank top that was a gift from Ginny. I had on a red robe and was settled comfortably into a hospital bed. The room was full with all of the balloons and bears Arthur had bought and Ron was wearing an "I'm A Daddy" t-shirt that was a gift from Ginny as well.

"Or a Quidditch player." I agreed. "We'll let her choose as soon as she gets old enough."

"Agreed." Ron said. The smile had not fallen from his face since the second our daughter had been born. He was one happy guy and I was one happy gal. Reality hit that we were two happy parents and the thought made me smile.

"Ready for your baby, mum and dad?" The nurse asked, coming into the room. Ron stood up and met her halfway. He lifted the baby out of the rolling bassinet that she was in.

"Hi baby." Ron said, reaching out for her little fingers.

"I'll just leave you three for now." The nurse said. Ron came and sat next to me on the bed.

"I still can't believe it." I said, staring at the face of my beautiful baby girl. "She's so little and so gorgeous…she's ours." Ron looked up and smiled at me. Tears poured down my face for what must have been the millionth time since I went into labor.

"Believe it, this amazing little girl is ours." Ron said.

"Mind if we come in?" I turned my head to the door where Harry, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Sasha, and Trey were all entering.

"Come in!" I said, smiling.

"Oh my god, she's so beautiful." Ginny said. She was the first one to hold the baby. Everyone else surrounded my bed.

"Molly and your mum stopped by the nursery to see her and then they went to go get some coffee. They said they're going to stop in as we're done." Harry said to me. Ginny passed the baby to Harry and took out her trusty camera again.

"The nurse said two at a time." Sasha said with a grin. "But the four of us didn't want to wait."

"I'm so glad you're all here." I said, smiling at my friends in front of me.

"Can I hold her?" Luna asked. Harry passed my baby along to Luna.

"I can't believe she's your baby." Neville said, watching Luna and the baby. "It's weird but I think I want my own too." Luna grinned at Neville and slowly passed my baby to him.

"She's really something." Harry said, holding Ginny. "That's my goddaughter."

"And soon she'll have a little cousin." Ginny said, rubbing her stomach.

"She can't wait." I informed Ginny as Neville passed my daughter to Sasha.

"So what's this little adorable girl's name?" Trey asked, looking over Sasha's shoulder at my daughter. I looked up at Ron while Sasha handed me my baby back.

"You pick between the two. I like them both." I said and looked down at my daughter.

"All right." Ron said, "In honor of her Aunt Ginny…her name is Kaia." I froze when I heard the name. My baby definitely didn't look like a Kaia and she definitely did not feel like a Kaia either. Tears started to pour down my cheeks and I couldn't control them but I didn't want to hurt Ginny's feelings.

"I don't think she's a Kaia either." Ginny said. I looked up at her. Ginny smiled at me. "She's not." She assured me.

"Well then I guess her name is Addison." Ron said. I sobbed a little louder.

"No, that's not her name either." I said while more tears poured down my cheeks. Neither of those names felt right now that she was here.

"Well then, we're back to the drawing board." Ron said.

"You could always use Harriett." Harry suggested. It was meant for a joke but I glared at him anyways.

"This isn't funny. My daughter doesn't have a name." I said, looking down at her. She was sleeping in my arms. "Naming her a stupid name isn't going to work." I said.

"It's not stupid." Harry protested. "You'd be naming her after me."

"Naming her after you?" Ron asked, looking as he just had an epiphany.

"We are _not_ naming our daughter Harriett." I said.

"No, what if we gave her a name with meaning?" Ron asked. "Like Willa."

"That's my middle name!" Ginny announced, her face lighting up. Ron smiled at her.

"Willa Weasley?" I asked, mulling the name over and looking at my daughter. "What if we used Elizabeth as her middle name?" I suggested.

"That's my mum's middle name." Ron said, smiling.

"That's where I got the idea." I informed him. "Willa Elizabeth Weasley." I said the name out loud. At that moment Willa stirred in my arms and opened her gorgeous blue eyes.

"It's her name." Ron said smiling. "She's Willa Elizabeth."

The door to the room opened again. The nurse was back in the room.

"I'm sorry but only two at a time and the grandparents are asking to come in." She said.

"Bye Willa." Trey said, waving at the pink bundle in my arms. Ginny gave me a quick hug and planted a kiss on Willa's forehead.

"Bye Wil." She said, giving my daughter her first nickname.

"See you soon." Harry called to Willa Elizabeth. They left and the door closed again.

"You named her." I said, smiling at Ron. "You came up with a brilliant name for Willa."

"I did, didn't I?" Ron asked, lifting his daughter from my arms. "Hi, Willa." Ron said to her. "I'm your daddy."

The door opened and Molly and Arthur entered with giant smiles on their faces.

"Where is she?" Molly asked. "Where's my granddaughter?"

"Mum, dad, this is Willa Elizabeth Weasley." Ron said, passing along our daughter to his mother.

"Elizabeth?" Molly asked, smiling, happily.

"Yes, the same middle name as her Grammy." I said. Molly looked near tears.

"Hello Willa Elizabeth." Arthur said, looking at his granddaughter. "She's beautiful." He said. "And you were brilliant Hermione, twenty seven hours of labor."

"I'm glad it's over." I said. "Because I have this beautiful, wonderful little girl now…and I'm a mum." Ron sat next to me on the bed and grabbed my hand. He waited until Arthur had the baby before he started speaking.

"Mum, dad. Hermione and I have something to tell you." Ron started. I gave his hand a squeeze for confidence. "We've talked about this and together we've decided that we don't want to raise our daughter in the city."

"Are you moving back to England?" Molly asked. I think she tried but she couldn't keep the excitement from her voice.

"Not exactly." I answered. "The Gazette is going to New York and California. Ron and I have decided that this will be the final move for us. We're moving to San Clemente, California after the New Year. But before you get upset, you have to know that we've already signed up to take classes to get an International Apparation Licenses so we'll be able to come back to England in the drop of a hat. And every Sunday we'll come to spend the entire day with the family."

"It really would be the same as if we were living in Paris but better because we'll see you more often than we do now." Ron said.

"Will you have a place for us to stay when we come visit this adorable little baby?" Arthur asked, staring down at his brand new granddaughter.

"Of course, dad." Ron said. "We're getting an actual house this time." Molly was looking at Willa with sad eyes.

"We'll probably come visit often." She said. I perked up when I heard that she wasn't upset. "I think she'll like the beach. When Ronald was little he was like a fish. He never wanted to leave the water." Ron smiled and went over to hug his mother.

"Thank you mum." Ron said. "This means a lot that you're supporting us in our decision."

After several minutes Arthur handed Willa back to Ron and they left so that my parents could come and meet their granddaughter. I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw my mother. I had not seen her once when I was in labor. The door opened once more and dad hurried in.

"Where is she?" He asked, excitedly. "Where's my beautiful grandbaby?"

"Richard, I'd like you to meet your granddaughter, Willa Elizabeth Weasley." Ron said, handing Willa to my father. Mum walked in at that moment. She didn't say anything, just stood by dad's side and looked at her granddaughter.

"Willa?" She finally asked in a shaky voice.

"Yes." I answered. Mum looked up at me.

"Twenty-seven hours?" She asked. "You're a brave woman." I smiled.

"It was worth it." I assured her.

"Can I hold her?" Mum asked, shakily.

"Of course." I said. Dad kissed Willa's forehead and passed her to mum. Mum began tearing up.

"Hi Willa." She said. "I'm your Nana and this is your Granddad." She sniffled. "We're going to love you and spoil you like crazy."

"I'm going to teach you how to play football." Dad said. "Your daddy tells me that you've got quite the kick." I smiled as I watched them. Unfortunately I knew it was time to break the news to them.

"Mum, dad Ron and I have some news." I said. "We've discussed this and have decided that we'd like to raise our daughter in California. We'll be back every week and you're welcome to come visit. I know it sucks that we're moving after we just had Willa but the Gazette is going there in January and we both think it's best that Willa doesn't grow up in the city." I laid it all out and didn't pause for response. The expression on dad's face fell while mum's stayed expressionless.

"California?" Dad asked. "But Paris was only a Chunnel ride away."

"Think of it this way," I started, "you can make a big trip out of it whenever you come. You can spend the week and we'll have a place where you can stay." I assured them.

"Hermione, I'd like to have Boxing Day, and one week over summers in England with my granddaughter." Mum said. "I know I'll see her more often than that but I'd like it if those two specific times that I know we'll spend with her every year." I looked over at Ron.

"That sounds reasonable." Ron agreed. "I think it will be good for her to have set time with her Nana and Granddad." Mum smiled.

"Thank you." She said. Dad took out a camera and began snapping pictures of Willa.

"I can't wait to show everyone in the office." Dad said. I smiled and settled back against the pillows on my bed. My daughter was a part of the world, she had a name, she had grandparents, she was about to have a best friend/ cousin, and she had a home in California to look forward to. My eyes slowly shut as I thought of my amazingly perfect daughter, Willa Elizabeth.

x

Willa was a popular baby. After the two of us rested and I fed her for the first time (a weird but amazing experience), the rest of the family came in to see her. Fred and George had managed to be the first ones after the nap to come visit. They came with an adorable stuffed bear for her that had a pink t-shirt with Willa's full name on it.

"You know what, it isn't Frieda or Georgina but I think Willa suits her." George said, holding his niece.

"Yeah." Fred agreed, smiling down at my daughter. "She looks just like you, you know Hermione?" He looked over his brother's shoulder. "But she's got Ron's eyes."

"Mum calls them the Weasley Blues." George said, smiling. I smiled at them and turned to look over at Ron who was sound asleep on the bed next to me. The poor guy had dealt with my nightmares for the past few weeks, and now he had been up for over thirty hours. I was lucky to have him. "I think Alicia and Angelina want to come in." George said.

"We'll be back later." Fred assured me. George handed Willa back to me and then left the room. I looked down at the little girl who I helped create. I just couldn't get over how beautiful she was and how this amazingly perfect tiny baby was my daughter. I had only known her for a few hours but I loved her so unbelievably much.

x

Sometime later, after all of the Weasleys had come and gone, I had fallen asleep again and a while after that I woke up. I had no sense of what time it was after I opened my eyes. I looked over to see Ron, holding Willa and walking around the room.

"You are never leaving the house, Wil." Ron said. "You're too beautiful. I know you're a little young but there's only one rule you have to follow. You aren't allowed to date until your thirty." Ron leaned down and kissed Willa's forehead. "Alright, let's be reasonable. You can never date." I laughed and Ron turned around with a smile on his face. "You're up." He said.

"Yeah." I said, smiling. "How's Willa."

"Perfect." Ron said. At that moment the door opened once again and Harry and Ginny came back into the room. Ginny had her camera in her hand.

"I'm making a scrapbook." Ginny announced. "It's for Willa to look at when she's older but for you two as well." I was too happy to remember why the camera annoyed me in the first place. Actually, it sounded like a brilliant idea.

"Gin, I'm going to do the same thing for you when you have your daughter." I said, smiling. Harry shot me an angry look from behind Ginny and then he began furiously shaking his head.

"Or son." Ginny said, patting her stomach.

"Yes, that's what I meant." I said. Ginny turned around to look at Harry who was still sending me signals of what I should say. Harry brought his arms down to his side when she saw him and tried to look innocent.

"What was that?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing." Harry insisted.

"He was making a funny face for Willa." Ron covered.

"Willa is on the other side of the room." Ginny said, sternly. "Harry was looking at Hermione." She turned to look at me and then turned to look at Ron before finally glaring at Harry. "Do you three know something I don't know?" Ginny asked. "Harry, did you go back to the Healer and find out the sex?" She stuck a finger at Harry's chest. He backed up but she followed, pointing a finger at his chest with every step they took. He was finally backed against a wall so that he couldn't move anymore.

"N-no." Harry stuttered.

"You mean to tell me that you went behind my back and went to the Healer to find out the sex of the baby because you just couldn't wait?" Ginny asked.

"I only did it because I needed to know what color to paint her room." Harry said.

"Her?" Ginny asked, the anger gone from her tone. "We're having a girl?" She questioned, excitedly. She turned back to Ron and I. "I'm having a little girl!" She announced to us. "Willa is going to have a girl cousin!" She started happily going on about her daughter. "Oh and we can do so many things with her name." Ginny said.

"I thought her name was going to be Lily?" Ron asked as he settled into a chair with Willa.

"It is." Ginny assured him. "But it could be Tiger Lily or Lily-Rose or…I don't know but it's going to be so much fun picking out her name!" Ginny said. Then it hit her, she spun around to face Harry who was smiling. "Paint her room?" She asked. "But we're moving to Paris. We aren't staying in London…and when did you paint a room? We still have all four rooms the same way we left them."

"I bought us a place in Paris." Harry said. "I wanted it to be all decorated before we moved in. Sasha's been helping me out." Ginny threw her arms around Harry's neck.

"When can we see it?" Ginny asked.

"Sasha said she's almost done with the decorating." Harry informed her. "How about we go to Paris when Ron, Hermione, and Willa go back?"

"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Shhh." Ron said as Willa began to stir and cry. "It's all right, baby." He said but Willa kept crying. He held her close to him and began rocking slowly back and forth. Eventually he got her to quiet down. He looked over at me with an amazed look on his face. I smiled back at him and settled back in my bed.

Life was just amazing at the moment. I had a perfect little girl and a wonderful husband who loved the little girl just as much as I did. My best friends were expecting their own daughter and the day after tomorrow I was going home with my brand new baby.

**a/n: So Willa... Trust me I tried so hard to figure out a name. I was so stressed because I wasn't sure if people would like it or not. It originally was going to be Kaia Addison Weasley but I felt that that name didn't suit her after I did the birth chapter. I came up with three more and then asked my best friend which one I should choose and she chose Willa Elizabeth Weasley. If it isn't working now...just try and get used to it please. I'm so sorry if I didn't pick the name you wanted!! **

**Please review!!!**

**Always,  
Kylie**


	22. The First Night

**a/n: I'm really glad that most of you said you liked her name!! **

**Ok, so there are 25 chapters of Paris and then we'll go on with the next story. So there's really only three chapters left of this one because the plot has almost been resolved (Hermione had her baby but Ginny hasn't had hers.) I'm still working on the title but does everyone like the first person perspective or shall I go back to the third person? Any other suggestions? I'm just wondering what you guys thought of me changing it around for this story. **

**So there's not too many crazy things going on with the next few chapters. Prep for moving...Willa adapting to the world...stuff like that.**

**Well I hope you enjoy!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

Tonks and Lupin had come and visit me on my second day in the hospital. They informed me that when I arrived in Paris the next day, they would be waiting for Willa, Ron, and I to help out.

The next day, which was November 3rd, Willa and I were all checked out of St. Mungo's and ready to go home. I was comfy and wearing a pair of black track pants with the matching hooded sweater while Willa was dressed in a small soft pink onesie that was a gift from her Nana and Granddad and a tiny white jacket. She was currently resting in her daddy's arms, the spot she loved the most and rarely cried in. I couldn't get over her. She was the most beautiful thing in the world. She had two beautiful blue eyes, ten wonderful tiny fingers and toes, the cutest little nose, and even when she cried it was the most beautiful sound.

We were currently on our way to the flat where we would introduce Willa to her first home. Harry and Ginny were with us as well and Harry was reluctantly holding onto Midnight's cage. After helping Willa get set up at home, they were going to go see their own place in Paris. I was excited to get back home and be a real family, just the three of us. I looked over at Ron and smiled; he smiled back.

I pushed the door open and led the way to the living room where Tonks, Lupin, Penny, Sasha, and Trey were standing under a sign that read, _Welcome Home Baby Willa!_ I smiled when I saw them all standing there next to a pile of gifts stacked on the coffee table.

"Let me see the baby." Tonks said, hurrying over.

"Baby!" Penny exclaimed from the couch. Trey swooped her up off the couch and brought her forward to see Willa.

"That's right." Trey said. "Ron and Hermione have a new baby." He told her.

"Baby!" Penny exclaimed again. He laughed and everyone crowded around the bassinet where Ron put Willa. I began hurrying around trying to get things organized. She was seconds away from sleep and that wasn't going to last long. I started putting things in places that I had assigned for them weeks ago. Tonks stopped me.

"Hermione, relax." She instructed me. "Let me take care of this, it's why I'm here." She assured me, taking the diapers out of my hand and leading me to the couch. "You relax because you'll need it." I fell onto the couch and took a deep breath. I guess it was time to relax. Ron sat next to me and I rested my head against his shoulder while Sasha, Trey, and Penny gushed over the sleeping Willa.

"Open Willa's gifts." Ginny said, happily. Ginny picked up a box and handed it to Ron and I.

Ron excitedly tore into the gift to reveal a light purple baby blanket to wrap her in.

"Ok, that one's from us because we know it matches her room." Harry said. "But all the others aren't." Penny baby waddled over to where Harry was standing and put one finger to her lips.

"Shhhhhushhhh!" She said. "Baby sleep!" She whispered and pointed to Willa's bassinet. Harry chuckled and lifted Penny off the ground.

"Ok. I'll be quiet." Harry whispered, poking the little girl in the stomach. She giggled. Ginny handed us another present and we started in on opening the very large pile of gifts from just about everyone we knew.

We received a baby bathing suit with a matching sundress from Sasha and Trey ("it's for California. I bought it in a bigger size so that it fits her by the time it's warm enough."), a tiny pink polka dot dress from Neville and Luna, a purple personalized diaper bag from Uncle Fred and Aunt Angelina with pacifiers included, a set of books to read to the baby from Uncle George and Aunt Alicia, a music box from Uncle Bill, Aunt Fleur, Alexis, and Cecilia, a pretty purple baby book that was, again, from Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry, a bath towel set with yellow ducks on it from Uncle Percy, Aunt Penelope, and Greg, a white baby bathrobe from Uncle Charlie, Aunt Alison, and Max., a beach tote from everyone at the French Gazette with everything and more Willa would need at the beach when we moved to California, a set of pink clothes from our friends at the England Gazette, a white t-shirt and pink tutu from Grammy and Grandpa as well as bibs embroidered with _Grandma's Little Girl_ or _Grandpa's Little Girl_, one giant gift basket with all the essentials for first time parents from the always thoughtful Tonks and Lupin, and finally very, very large piles of clothing that Penny, and Cecilia had grown out of.

I was pleased with everything (even the tutu...the explanation on the card for that was that it was since she was born on Halloween and never got to wear a costume...I doubted she would be wearing that any time soon) and I was so glad that people actually cared enough to go through all this with us. I was especially impressed with the handmade manual on all things a first time mother should know, written by Tonks who didn't want me to be unprepared when she left later on tonight. (I told her she could make a lot of money off of publishing this thing and promised to give her the address of my publisher.) Harry and Ginny were sticking around trying to help as much as they could before they left and Sasha and Trey were here for support as well.

It wasn't long before Willa stirred from her nap and began crying her eyes out. I took my little girl up to her bedroom to feed and change her, and brought her back downstairs in a fresh light yellow onesie. I sat on the couch with my daughter in my arms and a burp cloth on my shoulder. Slowly, I rocked her back and forth until had had fallen asleep again. Then I brought her up to her crib and laid her down for another nap. I grabbed the baby monitor and headed back downstairs where Ron had fallen asleep, going through the stacks of clothes from Penny and Cecilia, Harry had fallen asleep on the chair, Ginny was helping Tonks with some organizing of the gifts, Lupin was still going through the piles of clothes and hadn't noticed Ron fell asleep on him yet, and Sasha and Trey were playing with Penny.

I fell on the couch and leaned my head against Ron's shoulder. His arm went around me and I leaned back. I was, after all, supposed to be sleeping whenever she was sleeping.

Ron and I awoke a little later to the smell of something amazing. I opened my eyes and discovered that the clothes and gifts were gone from the coffee table. The living room looked neat with the stroller in a corner and the playpen was folded up and put into a closet until it was needed. Everything had a place in the living room. Ron was staring in amazement at the living room as well. Harry was curled up on the chair still but seconds later the smell woke him up as well. The three of us stood and followed the smell into the kitchen where we found Tonks and Sasha cooking while Trey and Lupin gathered the plates.

"Thank you so much!" I said to Tonks and Sasha. "This is the most amazing thing ever." I reached out to hug them both and then turned to Trey and Lupin. "And you guys too." I reached out to hug them.

"All right, lunch is ready!" Tonks announced.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry questioned.

"She's asleep in the bedroom with Penny." Sasha answered.

Harry left to go get Ginny while the rest of us went to the dinning room table.

"This is so surreal." I said as we began conversation while we ate lunch. "I have a four day old baby upstairs and I'm a mum."

"I know." Ron agreed. "I can't believe it sometimes but I love that little girl more than I ever though possible."

"It's the greatest feeling right after you take her home." Tonks said. "Everything is new and there's so many firsts." She smiled at us.

"But being a parent is so amazing. You're going to love it." Lupin said. Ron and I smiled and he leaned over to kiss my forehead.

"I want a baby!" Sasha announced suddenly. We all turned to look at her in shock…especially Trey.

"What happened to waiting until you have a solid teaching job before we had a baby?" Trey asked. Sasha turned to Trey, smiling.

"Well this semester I'm almost done with the classes and next year I'll be student teaching. If we get pregnant by January I'll have the baby in September October-ish and then I'll have until January off to raise him or her and then I can find a job." Sasha said, excitedly while Trey looked worried.

"Can we talk about it?" Trey asked.

"Oh, yeah. Of course." Sasha said. "I was just thinking about it." Trey looked very disturbed by the statement but I had a feeling that Sasha was just caught up in the hype of all the babies around. She would come to her senses…I think.

From the baby monitor next to me, I heard Willa's cry. Ron and I both shot up to go check on her. Ron was worried that it was something drastic but I figured she just had to be fed and changed again.

"Hi Willa." Ron said, lifting our daughter out of her crib. "Don't cry. Daddy's here. It's all right." He held her against him and tried the rocking motion that worked almost every time…not this time though.

"Hon, I think she's hungry." I said.

"Oh, right." Ron said. "I can't do that part." I smiled at him.

"But you can change and burp her." I said.

"Will you walk me through it?" Ron asked, unsurely.

"Of course." I said. "Just lay her down on the changing table." I walked Ron through his first changing of Willa and then I sat down on the rocking chair and began feeding her. Ron opened the music box from Bill and Fleur and it played soft music throughout the room. I smiled at Ron. As soon as Willa wasn't hungry any more I instructed Ron to put a burping cloth on his shoulder and then I handed Willa to him.

"I remember this part from the books." Ron said, going on without need of my instructions. I sat back and watched Ron burp the now tired Willa.

Once the burping was done he kissed her forehead and laid her back down in her crib. He stood there and watched her for a minute. I stood up and looped my arm through his.

"Ready to do this again in another couple hours?" I asked.

"I think I can handle it." Ron said. He bent his head forward and kissed me. We were two lucky people with an amazing little girl.

Around eight that night, Tonks and Lupin had to bring Penny back home so she could get some sleep.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." Tonks said. "I got one of those phone thingies and I left our number on the refrigerator. I can Apparate here in a second."

"But–" I started.

"I was an Auror. It was required to Apparate internationally." Tonks answered. Lupin held a sleeping Penny.

"I think we're going to have to get a cat." Lupin said to me. "Penny loves Midnight so much." I laughed and hugged him, before Ron and I walked them to the door.

"Thank you for everything today." Ron said.

"Don't worry about it." Tonks said. "You helped out with Penny and we're returning the favor. Call if you need anything." I hugged her once more before they left the apartment. Ron and I went back to the living room where Sasha and Trey were sitting, looking worn out.

"Do you guys need anything else?" Sasha asked, sleepily.

"No, we're fine." I said.

"You guys should go home and get some rest." Ron said.

"Are you sure you're good here?" Trey asked. I nodded.

"Thank you guys so much for everything. You have been really great with helping us." I said, reaching out to hug them.

"Don't worry about it." Sasha said. They got their coats before leaving us. Ron and I fell onto the couch, tiredly. Harry and Ginny had left an hour ago to go and see their new place in Paris before going home.

"We have a baby." I said to Ron as if I had just realized it. "And we're alone with the baby." I suddenly felt a sense of worry come over me. I sat up straight. "Ron, what are we going to do…we're alone with the baby!"

"Hermione, we've been taking care of her all day without anyone else's help. You fed her while I changed and burped her. Thanks to Tonks, Sasha, Lupin, and Trey we now have a clean place and had two really good meals that Tonks and Sasha made. We can handle it for the rest of the night." Ron assured me.

"Ok, but there's still so much I have to do." I said.

"Like what?" Ron questioned, skeptically.

"I have to get started on her baby book and then I wanted to take some more pictures of her for albums and I've barely started on making a packing list. Ron, we're moving in less than two months and nothing's packed! I haven't even made my list!" I said, frantically.

"Ok." Ron agreed, knowing that I would never calm down until there was a little bit of order in my life. "Trey brought over some Gazette work anyways. I guess I better get started on it before I have to go back on Monday." Before he could get up I turned and gave him a kiss.

"Thank you for getting me pregnant." I said. Ron laughed.

"Of course my love." He said. He gave me a kiss back and then we both got up to get some work done.

The first night was difficult. From eight until ten (interrupted once by Willa) I worked on a packing list and Willa's baby book. At ten I showered and then fell into bed next to Ron who was already sound asleep. I set the baby monitor next to me on my pillow and shut my eyes, falling into sleep very quickly.

Less than two hours later Willa's cry woke me up. Ron shot up as well and we both threw on robes and rushed to Willa, who was yet again hungry. When she began crying again after her feeding, we took her out of her bedroom and brought her to the living room where Ron held her to him and rocked her back and forth. It worked this time but instead of bringing her back up to her room, we placed her in her bassinet in the living room. Ron and I fell asleep on the couch only to be awoken a few hours later by Willa. And the process repeated its self.

At four in the morning after a feeding and a burping, Willa lay on her father's chest asleep while Ron slept as well. I sneaked into the office and grabbed my camera before coming back and snapping a few pictures of the two before falling into the chair and falling asleep.

The next morning the phone rang, waking Willa up.

"Hello?" I tiredly asked while Ron tried to comfort Willa.

"How'd the first night go?" Ginny asked on the other end of the line. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

"Some." I answered, tiredly, resting against the wall.

"Is that Willa crying?" Ginny asked. "Is she hungry again?"

"No, just a little pissed off because she barely got any sleep and a phone woke her up at right o'clock in the morning." I answered, cranky from being tired.

"Sorry." Ginny said, guiltily.

"No don't worry. You just beat her by a few minutes." I answered. "How was the Paris place?" I asked, walking into the kitchen to try and make some breakfast for Ron.

"Amazing." Ginny answered. "You _have_ to see it. We're starting the packing today so that we can be in there before December 22nd which is my due date."

"Never go by the due date." I said, speaking from experience. "You might not give birth to her until Valentine's Day if that's the case." Ginny laughed on the other line.

We talked for a few more minutes while I put a bowl of cereal and milk on the table for Ron with a banana. Ron entered the kitchen, holding a calm Willa.

"Morning love." He said with a tired smile.

"Morning." I said leaning up to give him a kiss and then I gave one to Willa.

It had been one hell of a night but we got through the first and we'd get through the second as well as the ones to come after because I had the support of a loving husband and a beautiful baby girl to raise.

**10 REVIEWS PLEASE!!!!!!!**


	23. The Outing

**a/n: hello again!! So two more chapters after this... I finished twenty four and plan on working on twenty five tonight. So if I get at least ten reviews I'll put 24 up as soon as possible!!!**

**Always,  
****Kylie**

After the first week Willa had developed a routine for sleeping and eating. She ate at eleven p.m. and then at 3 a.m. and then again at 7 a.m. Whenever she was sleeping I tried to get sleep in and whenever I wasn't sleeping or taking care of my daughter, I was packing. I had developed my own routine as well. I would be up at six and go for a jog before doing some exercising at home to get rid of my baby weight and then I would shower and get ready for my day with my daughter.

The second week was much more difficult because Ron was at work from eight in the morning until five at night. He was with us for the eleven feeding and the seven feeding but I let him sleep for the three feeding. And during the day it was just Willa and I. During the second week I hadn't quite gotten up the courage to take her outside yet. I was waiting until she got more comfortable on the inside.

On Monday of the third week I decided that it was time to introduce Willa to the outside world. I was going to take her to the French Gazette to visit her daddy and meet his coworkers.

All of the books said to dress her in one more layer than I was wearing because babies feel cold and heat more than adults. I had dressed up a little more than my usual jeans and t-shirt because we were actually leaving the house today. I was wearing a black skirt with a pair of black flats. I had on a light pink top and I had my coat to wear over that. I dressed Willa in a white onesie with the feet and long sleeves as well as a light purple baby cardigan and matching hat. I opted for the stroller and filled up the diaper bag with all of the essentials before the two of us ventured outside.

As I pushed the stroller, I felt like every little thing was going to hurt her. I stopped every few minutes to check and make sure that she was ok. Willa just lay there with her eyes closed like nothing was going on. After a very scary walk we made it to the train. This was slightly better because I got to watch her the entire time and make sure she was ok.

We arrived at the Gazette office in double the time it takes me to get there on my own. I walked into the lobby and since it was a Monday the office traffic wasn't that busy. I hurried to the elevator with Willa in her stroller to get up to Ron's office. I found Ron at his desk with a heap of papers in front of him and a large cup of coffee.

"Hi daddy. Look who I brought to see you." I said, entering the office. Ron's facial expression changed from bored to death to extremely happy to see his daughter. He jumped up from his chair and hurried to the stroller where he un-strapped Willa and lifted her up, carefully. Once he had her in his arms, he leaned over to kiss me.

"How's she doing today?" Ron asked. He looked back down at Willa. "And how was she on the walk over?"

"She was fine." I answered, walking around the desk to sit in Ron's chair. "But I was a nervous wreck. I don't know how I'm going to make it back."

"You're brave." Ron said. "I don't think I would have made it out the door." I smiled as the door opened again.

"I 'eard zat zere was an adorable baby een zis office." Jacques said, rushing over to look at Willa. I pulled hand sanitizer out of my purse and held it out. (The books had suggested having it on hand for people who wanted to hold her. I was scared to death of her getting sick.)

"Jacques could you–" I started.

"Not a problem." Jacques said, picking up the bottle. "Zere are germs everywhere. Eet eez smart of you to take care." Jacques cleaned his hands and then Ron carefully handed Willa to him. "What a cute baby." Jacques said. "She looks like you 'ermione and she 'as your eyes Ron." He looked back down at Willa. "'allo Willa. Are you going to be a brilliant writer like your mozzer and fazzer? You own all of zis when you get older." He smiled at her while more people noticed the baby through the open door. I stood to make sure that everyone who came into the room and wanted to hold my baby had sanitized their hands.

Needless to say, Willa was the most popular thing going on at the Gazette today. Everyone went nuts when they saw her yawn and stretch. Luckily I brought my camera. I got some shots of Ron at his work with Willa and all the other employees. At one point during all the chaos and everyone asking me about the long birth Willa began crying in need of a diaper change. Ron, eager to play the daddy role to his daughter, offered to take care of it while I talked to his employees.

After a bit I knew it was time to get going. The two of us still had to go and visit Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's Paris place.

"Bye Will. Try not to scare mummy on the way home." Ron said, tucking her back into her stroller. When he had given her a kiss on the forehead he turned to me. "Don't get too worked up. She's probably just sleep." Ron said to me.

"Still." I said. We both looked down at the adorable little girl that was a mixture of the two of us. I was excited to see her grow up. Would she love to read as much as I did? Was she going to love the Chudley Cannons as much as her daddy? Would her hair be red or brown? It was going to be fun discovering these things as she got older.

"You'll be fine." Ron assured me. He gave me a kiss and then said goodbye to Willa again. The two of us turned and headed out of the office, ready to get to Aunt Ginny's and see what their new place looked like.

Harry who got lucky when it came to apartments found a great one. It was big with a large living room, dining room, kitchen, balcony, two bathrooms, and three large bedrooms (the master bedroom had a walk in closet and then a regular one for Harry's things). Willa and I took the train again and we headed to Harry and Ginny's.

Ginny and Harry's place was located in a very nice section of Paris with a doorman, lobby, and all that nice stuff that was due to a very successful business, and being engaged to a guy with a Quidditch Seeker's salary.

Ginny answered her door, smiling.

"It's my favorite goddaughter." Ginny announced as she met us at the door. She looked down to see sleeping Willa. "Aw, she's so adorable." Ginny said. "I can't believe how much I've missed her since I saw her yesterday."

"I know it's crazy." I said. Ginny reached out to hug me and then ushered me inside.

Ginny and Harry had taken the opportunity to purchase new furniture for their place since they were keeping the home in London. Tonight was supposed to be their first night here in their own place in Paris. Harry was taking the Chunnel over after he got out of practice.

"This is the living room." Ginny said, motioning to the room we just walked into. I took Willa from her stroller and surveyed the room. It had large windows that let light into the room. The walls were white as was the sofa and comfortable looking armchair but the room had red accents throughout. For example in the paintings on the wall, the vases that rested on the wooden tables, the books out for show on the coffee table and designs in the rug that rested over the nice hardwood floors.

"I love Sasha's sense of style." Ginny informed me as I handed Willa to her. "Harry was brilliant to choose her for decorating our place."

"It really does look great." I assured her. There was a door that led to the balcony with two sitting chairs on it. It looked like a nice place for Harry and Ginny to relax.

"The kitchen is right here." Ginny said. There was a doorway to the left where the kitchen was. The kitchen had crème walls and no table but there was all this stuff in the kitchen like a spice rack and cookbooks resting on shelves that it just looked like a homey kitchen.

"Cute." I said as she led me out of the kitchen and back into the living room.

"This is the dinning room." Ginny said, showing me the area right off of the living room. The dinning room had a simple theme with a glass table that seated eight that held a white vase with lilies in it. An interesting palm-shaped chandelier hung above the table while an interesting piece of artwork hung on the wall across from where I was standing.

"Very modern." I observed. Off of the dinning room there was a pretty long hallway where everything else was located. Two bedrooms side by side were the first things you came across when you walked through the hallway. The first bedroom had been turned into a den. The walls were painted Tiffany blue with beige colored carpet. There were bookshelves that lined the walls in a light blue and books covered the shelves. Some of them were for show but most of them were the muggle books that Ginny had accumulated over the past two years. There were comfy chairs for sitting, a desk for her to draw her designs, and framed designs on the walls. Light coming in from the windows lit up the room.

"This is my place." Ginny informed me. "Harry said he wanted there to be a place for just me to be and I could use it for designing."

"This is definitely a _you_ place." I said, observing the place that I could see Ginny sketching in.

"Come on, I'll show you my daughter's room." Ginny said. She still had sleeping Willa in her arms as she gave me the tour.

Ginny's baby's room was decorated like a room for a little girl who would never be bored. The walls were a soft shade of pink with a white trim around the windows. There was a white crib, changing table, rocking chair, baby swing and dresser but the rest of the room looked like the perfect place for a child to want to be. There was a tiny table with tiny chairs for tea parties, a white toy chest that may very well hold toys for her when she's just able to hold things as well as toys for when she's a toddler, a play kitchen was set up in the corner of the room, and a small vanity near it. The closet was already stocked with clothing. There was a picture of the baby's sonogram on the wall as well as a picture of her parents, a shot of her paternal grandparents, and one of the entire Weasley family.

"Wow, Gin. She won't even be aware but she'll love it anyways." I said, smiling.

"I know it's a little much and she isn't even born yet but Harry told Sasha to decorate it like a little girl's room should be. I think that it'll be fine because it will last a while." Ginny said. "Well come on, the best part is my bedroom."

Ginny's bedroom was at the end of the hall. It was simple but elegant and looked like a romantic place. There was a stone fireplace in the uncluttered room. The king-sized bed was low to the ground with a white comforter that had olive green detailing and olive green pillows. There was a simple piece of artwork (crashing waves on the beach) over the bed and two bedside tables with lamps and a book of his or her choosing. The carpet in the room was creamy white and finished off the look of the room.

"Gin, this is a really great place." I said. "You guys are lucky you found a place like this."

"I know." Ginny said, smiling. "And I've been thinking about the wedding too. Like maybe getting married here." The fact that Ginny was smiling and talking about her wedding at the same time made me realize that maybe Paris was the place where Ginny was supposed to be. It was like in Breakfast At Tiffany's where Audrey Hepburn said that Tiffany's was where she felt comfortable and she wasn't going to settle down until she found that place that made her feel like that. Ginny had finally found a place where she could settle down and be comfortable. Ever since Ginny's been pregnant she hasn't been in the best mood and she would rarely talk about her wedding but maybe now that things were falling into place for her everything would be better.

"When?" I asked.

"March maybe." Ginny shrugged. "I was thinking that or April. Something Springy but I'm not too sure. I wanted to start sketching some dress ideas for a spring one."

"Gin, this is awesome." I said. I reached out and hugged her, being careful the Willa was in her arms. "I'm glad that you're planning this." Ginny smiled.

"Me too." She said. "Come on, I'll make some tea and I'll tell you what I've been thinking for the wedding."

"Great." I said. She handed me Willa and I followed her into the kitchen.

The second we settled down to drink tea and talk, Willa began crying yet again. I changed her and then brought her back to the dinning room table where she rested in my arms and we both listened to Aunt Ginny talk about her wedding.

Even after Ginny and I had come up with a basic plan for her wedding I still didn't really feel like going home and Willa seemed perfectly content where she was. Ginny popped _Catch and Release_ into the DVD player and we sat down with popcorn to watch the movie. Of course halfway through it I had to stop and go feed Willa and then burp her and then change her before putting her back in the stroller for a nap (not really a nap because she's been "napping" on and off all day) and then settled back with Ginny to watch the movie.

Instead of using the cookbooks in the kitchen, Ginny took the easy route and thought that we would get something out for lunch (mid afternoon lunch…it was almost three) and I offered to go pick it up if she would watch Willa. Ginny had no problem with watching Willa. After all this was her goddaughter and she would need the experience for her own daughter anyways.

I came back from an American food place with a salad and fruit for myself while I tried to loose the rest of the baby weight, and a bacon cheeseburger with fries for the pregnant Ginny. We sat back at the dinning room table.

"What's it like?" Ginny asked, looking at Willa.

"Giving birth?" I asked. Ginny nodded. "Well." I started, unsure of how to explain this. "It hurts like hell but it's one of the greatest experiences in life." I smiled. "I never thought that I could love someone I just met as much as I love her. She's so small and she cries a lot and she needs to be fed and changed all the time and then she just sleeps but she's the most interesting and beautiful thing to me. Giving birth isn't just about pushing a baby out of you…it's so much more. You have this little person that you're responsible for and that changes you. You're a parent now and everything is different. I wouldn't take it back for anything in the world." Ginny smiled while I spoke she rubbed her belly.

"I know I'm eighteen and totally not in the right place to have kids but I can't wait for her to be born. I want a family now." She was smiling big. "Even if I find out I'm going to have another one right after I give birth to the first, it'll be fine."

"But then you and Harry will never get to go out again." I said.

"We figured, after the first month of course, that we'd go out every Friday and either leave her with my mum or the nanny." Ginny informed me. "We're eighteen and nineteen and we don't want it to all go to hell just because we had a baby."

"That's a good plan." I told her smiling. Harry and Ginny were planning on hiring a nanny after month three when Ginny was going to be going back to work seriously and opening a _Ginny Potter_ in Paris. I thought that that was good for them. As for us, there was a daycare in the complex where our house was going to be…as well as a pool and hot tub (and we were only a twenty minute walk from the beach).

Ginny and I sat back to watch another movie after lunch. She put in _The Lake House_ while I got settled on the comfy chair. This time it was only ten minutes in that Willa interrupted the movie. I changed her and then brought her back to the chair with me where the two of us both drifted off to sleep.

The next thing I knew I heard my phone go off again and I heard Willa's cry. She was no longer in my arms and it took me a second to realize that Ginny must have her. I fished the phone out of my purse.

"Hi, love." I said to Ron. I tiredly fell into the chair and began rubbing my temples while Willa's crying abated.

"Thank god." Ron said on the other line, breathing a sigh of relief. "Where are you? I got home and the only one that was here was Midnight. What happened to you? Is Willa ok?" I looked at the time on the television. It was already quarter to six. I hadn't realized that I had fallen asleep for so long.

"I'm sorry." I said. "Wil and I went to visit Ginny and then we ended up staying for a while." I said. "I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry!" I said again. "We'll be home as soon as possible."

"No, I'll come there." Ron said. "I was scared to death. I had no idea what happened and when you came to the office you were joking…"

"Ron, I'm really sorry. I really didn't mean to scare you. I fell asleep." I said.

"It's all right. I'll see you in a bit." Ron replied. "Love you."

"Love you too." I replied and hung up the phone. I stood to go find my daughter. Willa was in Harry and Ginny's room lying on the bed while Harry and Ginny sat next to her. "Willa!" I exclaimed when I saw her. (Ok I had gotten a little freaked out when I couldn't find her in any of the other rooms but Ron and I were new parents we were allowed the right to be freaked out!) I lifted her off the bed and held her close to me. "I'm so sorry baby. I'll never fall asleep on you again." I said, kissing her cheek.

"Hermione, it's all right." Ginny said. "You both were sleeping for pretty long but I saw her waking up and I didn't want her to disturb you."

"If it's possible, I think she's gotten even cuter." Harry said.

"Why thank you Uncle Harry." I said. I sat down on the bed, next to the two of them.

"So what do you think of the place?" Harry asked.

"Really great find." I said. "And I love the snooty French doorman." I joked.

"He came with the place." Harry said. I laughed. "Well." Harry said, standing up. "I'm not in the mood to cook and I highly doubt you ladies are so what'll it be…pizza or Chinese?" I opened my mouth to say Chinese but Ginny was too fast.

"Both." She said. I laughed again. Pregnancy cravings. Luckily I was over that.

"Ron will be here soon and I think, he'll agree." I said.

"I'll go order." Harry said.

When Harry left to go pick up the food Ron came. He hurried to Willa and I, sitting on the chair again.

"There are my girls." He said. He leaned down to pick Willa up and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "How was your day with Auntie Ginny and mummy?" Ron asked her. She of course just stared at him but he looked happy to see her.

"We had a great day." I said, standing up to give him a proper kiss. "And you came just in time. I think she needs to be changed."

"Great. Just in time." Ron leaned in to give me another kiss before lifting up the diaper bag and walking off with Willa. "Come on Wil, let's go get you changed." He said to her.

I watched him with her and smiled. Willa was definitely a daddy's girl…and the most adorable one.

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	24. As Good As It Gets

**a/n: So one more chapter after this! We're getting close to the new story!!!!!!**

**I'll put twenty five up as soon as possible!!! But that also means after ten reviews too!!! **

**Thanks for all the reviews!!!**

**Always,  
Kylie**

The move to California was rapidly approaching. We had packed up the office, most of the kitchen, most of the bedroom, and everything Willa wasn't going to need in the next month. I tried to get as much as possible done before December 1st so that we could take time and enjoy our first Christmas with Willa.

This year we were not too overwhelmed with wedding plans to enjoy Christmas. We were going to make Willa's first Christmas the greatest...even if she wouldn't remember it.

Christmas morning we were going to sit in front of the tree and open the gifts as a family and then we were going to the Burrow where we would be with the entire Weasley family and then the day after we would be going to my parents' house.

We bought an artificial tree that morning (we were going to get a real tree next year when we would be settled into a house) and then we bought ornaments, lights, stockings, and other Christmassy decorations for the living room full of boxes.

Willa had no idea what was going on but we dressed her in a red onesie with green holly on it. We were going to take a family picture in front of the tree and give that out to our family. Ron had on a pair of black pants with a green shirt and I was wearing a skirt with a red top.

Lately Willa had been slightly more aware of things going on. Like when Ron or I would talk to her she would watch us and be aware of our movements. It was amazing to watch her develop each week. Now she lay on her tummy in front of me, watching the amazing colors of the lights on our fake tree.

"Ready to take the picture?" Ron asked as he came into the living room with two cups of hot chocolate.

"I think we are." I said. I sat up and lifted Willa up. "Are we Wil?" I asked. Willa turned her attention from the tree to my face. She reached out to touch my mouth. I laughed and handed her to Ron. I went to grab the camera and levitated it in front of us. I knelt down next to Ron and Willa before snapping the picture with my wand.

"And there's your first Christmas picture." Ron said to Willa. "Later on this week we're going to visit Santa Clause." Ron seemed excited about this but Willa was only watching the expression on Ron's face.

Once the camera was put away and the entire living room was decorated, we settled on the couch with Willa and our hot chocolate and turned on Frosty the Snowman. (All right this might have been solely for Ron and I because Willa was more interested in sucking on her pacifier.)

Of course Willa didn't make it through the movie. First she needed to be fed and changed and then after we got back to the couch she ended up falling asleep in my arms. It was cute but Ron and I fell asleep right after she did anyways. That girl was small but she had a set of lungs on her and that wore us out!

x

Monday after we did our Christmas thing with Willa, Ron brought her to the office with him while I went to the University to get all the papers I needed for transferring into San Clemente Wizard College (SCWC). I had done a lot of research on the college and it seemed like a good one with all the courses I needed to complete my teaching requirements. It was only a half hour away from our home so if I had to I could be home to see Willa quickly. Ron on the other hand would be working in San Diego, which was about an hour away. We had the opportunity to live in San Diego but we when we were looking we found the cutest place in San Clemente and it was only a twenty minute walk to the beach!

I entered the school and went straight for the main office to get the papers. Unfortunately they made me wait and then fill out some papers and then wait some more and then finally after making me sign something I was free to go with all of the papers I would need. I hurried out of the office, just wanting to get back to my baby. In my hurry I nearly knocked someone over. I shouldn't have been surprised because whenever I was in this place I always managed to run into her but I was.

"Oh, Pansy I'm sorry." I apologized, bending down to pick up the books that fell from her arms.

"Forget it." Pansy said taking the book from me. She looked down at my stomach that was now back to its normal size (after a good month of dieting and exercising and running around to take care of a baby). "So you had your baby?" She asked me.

"Uh, yeah. Willa Elizabeth was born on Halloween." I answered, smiling when I thought about her. Pansy nodded and then looked at the papers in my arms. "Ron and I are moving to California." I explained. "I'm going to continue going to school over there."

"Good." She said, shortly. In the seven years that I had known and gone to school with Pansy I never once liked her. I still don't but I can somewhat relate. We were both young mothers and trying to have a family and go to school. Aside from that we were completely different. She was Slytherin I was Gryffindor. We'd never become friends or even acquaintances and there was a good possibility that when our daughters went to Hogwarts they would despise each other as much as we did but the two of us had grown; motherhood had helped. In a way I was glad for that day we ran into each other on my first day because I never would have seen another side of Pansy.

"Have a nice life Pansy." I said, smiling as I began walking away.

"You too." She said. She didn't smile but she sounded sincere. This was some closure on whatever it was that had gone on with us in the past year. I nodded at her and then headed for the door.

I walked out the door of the school, shoved the papers in my bag and hurried to catch the train and checkup on Willa.

x

Once a week Willa and I would take a trip to see how Auntie Ginny was and we would spend the day with her. Then Ron and Harry would meet us there and we would have dinner with them. Lately Harry had been around during the day because the team didn't practice during the winter.

That night I offered to make dinner instead of ordering out like always. I looked in the cookbooks and found a recipe. I made a list of ingredients for Harry and Ron to run out and get. I knew they were in the living room watching TV with Willa while Ginny slept in her room. I froze when I got to the doorway.

"It's that easy?" Harry asked. "You just pick her up and you know what to do?"

"I love her too much." Ron answered. "I want to make sure I take care of her. I read the books and that helped. At first I was scared but when she came it changed and I was ready to be a dad."

"When did you get used to the idea that you were going to be a dad?" Harry asked.

"After I got used to Hermione being pregnant I started to get used to the idea but it didn't really hit until Wil was born." Ron answered. "Haven't you even thought about it yet?"

"I tried." Harry admitted. "But when I think about it, it makes me feel even worse. I'm scared to death about this and Ginny thinks that I'm ready. I have never been ok with this but I've had to pretend to be for her."

"Harry she's due in a little less than three weeks and you're telling me that you're still in the stage that you should be in right after you found out?" Ron asked, in surprise.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with this so I haven't tried to deal with it." Harry said.

"And what about when your baby comes?" Ron asked.

"I don't know; that's why I'm talking to you." Harry said.

"Are you excited at all for your baby?" Ron asked.

"Yes, of course." Harry answered. "I think."

"You think?"

"Well I'm excited to see what my baby is going to look like because I hope she looks just like Ginny and I'm excited for her to have the same name as my mum…but I can't get excited to be a dad. I don't see myself changing a baby or burping her and I can't see myself walking with Ginny and pushing a stroller with our baby in it. It's weird to think about it like that."

"I never could either but the second I hear Willa cry, I'm ready to change her or hand her to Hermione to feed her. Whenever we leave the house I always have to double-check that she'll be warm enough and then we leave, the three of us as a family."

"Do you think it's be that easy for me to adapt? I'm just not sure if I have that dad quality in me."

"It's in you." Ron assured him. "When you see your daughter for the first time your whole world's going to change. Trust me, Harry. You may not be ready now, you're a few stages behind where you should be but the second you see your daughter you'll feel the change in yourself."

Their conversation ended so I pretended that I didn't hear it and walked into the living room.

"Ron, can you run out and get these things on the list?" I asked, holding the list out to him.

"Sure." Ron said, looking the list over. "Want to come?" He asked Harry. An idea sprung into my head and I opened my mouth to speak before Harry could.

"I need Harry to keep an eye on Willa while I start cooking." I said.

"Well I'll go." Harry said. "Ron can stay and watch Willa."

"But she hasn't spent any time with her godfather yet. And I've barely gotten any pictures of the two of you." I protested.

"It's no big deal. I'll be right back." Ron said. He kissed Willa's forehead and handed her to Harry.

"You heard, didn't you?" Harry asked me when Ron left. He had Willa in his arms.

"Yeah I did." I replied. "And I don't know if it'll help but maybe if you spend time with a baby, it'll help prepare you a little bit for your baby."

"What are we supposed to do?" Harry asked. "Sit and watch TV together?"

"Try this." I said. I grabbed her blanket and laid it down on the floor. I took her from Harry and placed her on her stomach. "Now lay in front of her and just talk to her. She's learning and talking to her helps."

"She can't understand me." Harry said. I rolled my eyes and gave him a shove.

"Just do it." I said. "Otherwise you can eat nothing for dinner." I said. Harry lowered himself to the ground and lay down in front of Willa.

"You know, your mummy is a pushy lady." Harry told her.

"Ha, ha." I said, sarcastically. I watched them for a second longer before going back into the kitchen to get the things that were already there, ready.

I began cooking but was interrupted shortly.

"Hermione, I think Willa needs to be changed." Harry said from the other room.

"I'm trying to cook Harry. Take care of it." I said to him, not moving from where I was. In any other circumstance I would have gone and changed her myself but this was a learning experience for Harry.

"I don't know how." Harry said. Before I could say anything else I heard Ginny in the other room too.

"I'll help." Ginny said.

"Diaper bag is by the stroller." I said. I smiled at the fact that my plan was working out. Harry sure wasn't going to be Super Dad by the end of the night but maybe things would be better for him.

Ron returned with the groceries after a bit. He came into the kitchen and placed them on the counter.

"Where'd Willa and Harry go?" Ron asked.

"I knew it was too quiet in there!" I said dropping the spoon into the pot of boiling water. I hurried out into the empty living room and then into the hallway. I heard Harry and Ginny in the nursery. "Is everyone trying to give me a heart attack?" I asked as I entered the room.

"We just went into another room." Harry said.

"Well I'd like to be informed whether you move her two steps or three." I said, trying to catch my breath. I over reacted slightly but I couldn't help but worry. After catching my breath I took note of what was going on. Willa was sitting in the baby swing and Harry and Ginny were watching her. It was a cute sight and Ginny was taking pictures too. "Dinner should be ready shortly." I said, walking back out of the room.

Ron was in the kitchen looking over the recipe in the cookbook.

"Everything ok?" Ron asked.

"No." I admitted. "I was scared to death when you said they weren't in there?" I turned the boiling water off because all it was doing was boiling a spoon. "What's wrong with me? It's not like they could have disappeared into thin air."

"It's all right." Ron said. He put his arms around me and I fell into the comfort of his embrace. "I get scared too. Sometimes I sit there at night and just listen to the baby monitor to make sure she's still breathing."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, we're parents, we worry. It's what we do." Ron said.

"Yeah, I guess so." I said. I wrapped my arms around Ron and just rested my head against his chest. It hit me that this hug was the most intimate that we'd been in a while. There had been that time during pregnancy when I couldn't keep my hands off him and we still kissed each other in the morning and at night but we'd never truly had a moment alone to hug properly or to put a little extra something into our kisses. Ron seemed to notice the closeness as well. I lifted my head up and he leaned down. His lips caught mine and we never released each other from the embrace.

After a minute we both pulled away to catch our breath. I smiled at him and he smiled back. Silently our eyes met and I knew we had a date for later on tonight while Willa slept for a few hours.

I turned back to finish making dinner with the ingredients Ron bought.

"How's Harry doing?" Ron asked.

"He's got Ginny." I informed him. "And she's going to help him through whatever he's having trouble with but he's got it in him too. He's going to be a good father."

"Yeah, I figured." Ron said. "I mean if I can handle it, Harry can handle it." I smiled at Ron.

"You're one of the best." I assured Ron.

"Thank you my love." Ron said. He put his arms around me while I cooked and kissed my neck. I giggled and then turned to kiss him on the mouth.

Harry was going to be a good dad, Ron and I were back in that good place again, and we were both nervous wrecks when it came to our daughter…things weren't perfect but they were as good as they could get.

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	25. Smile Baby

**a/n: Ok so we are onto the last chapter of Paris...but the good news is that we'll have California soon!!! The title of the California story is California Bound. I'd like to thank the reviewer, Anna, for the idea for the title. Thanks Anna!! **

**So here it goes and I hope you like it!!! **

**Always,  
Kylie**

The first time Willa smiled, it was the most amazing thing in the world. Ron was in the kitchen making lunch (I know I was surprised at first when he actually offered but during the pregnancy he'd often made food) and Willa and I were in the living room amidst all the boxes. Willa was lying on her tummy and I was lying across from her.

"Whose mummy's favorite girl in the world?" I asked her in a baby voice. She obviously didn't respond except to reach out and try and grab my hair. "That's right little girl. It's you." I said. I kissed her cheek. She reached for my mouth this time and had an interested look on her face. "You are the cutest!" I exclaimed, laughing. That's when I saw the corners of her mouth move upwards and she smiled at my laugh.

I sat up immediately and lifted Willa in my arms. "Ron she's smiling! Come quick!" I continued to smile at Willa and see if she would hold her smile. Ron came rushing out of the kitchen with a spatula in his hand and a smile on his face.

"She is!" Ron said, excitedly. "She's smiling. That's my girl." Ron placed the spatula on a box and lifted Willa out of my arms. The fact that both Ron and I were smiling at her made her smile even more.

"Ah." It was only a sound but it was adorable. She had been cooing lately as well. She was making so much progress as she got further into her second month!

"I'll get the camera!" I said, hurrying for Willa's room where I left the camera last. I came back to find her still smiling at Ron. Ron was talking to her and had a smile on his own face. Smiling at her and talking seemed to make her smile. I focused the camera on her face and snapped the picture.

"Can we get that picture printed and show everyone at the party tonight?" Ron asked.

"Already on it." I said. I worked a spell on the camera and had a fresh batch of pictures to show everyone.

Ginny and Harry were throwing a party at their new place tonight. It was sort of a going away/new house/Christmas party with friends. Sasha, Trey, Neville, Luna, Zacharis, Susan, Ernie, Hannah, Colin, Vanessa, Fred, Angelina, George, Alicia, team mates of Harry's and their spouses, others from school, and people from the Gazette that we all knew. This was going to be Willa's debut. She was going to be a hit at the party but people at the party were not the only ones that want to see her.

I've gotten letters requesting an interview and photos in Witch Weekly and a new magazine that no one had ever heard of called The Buzz. They were interested because Ron was the owner of the International Gazette and my book had just recently come out. It was actually popular; everyone wanted to know what really happened. We were still thinking about the interview and pictures with Witch Weekly but had turned down The Buzz mainly because we had no idea what the magazine was.

x

For Willa's debut at the party I dressed her in one of the dresses Auntie Ginny made for her. It was a simple soft blue dress that went over her white onesie. It had embroidered flowers on the hem and looked absolutely adorable on my little girl. I put a matching headband and bow on her. I still wondered if she would be a brunette or a redhead but soon we'd see when she started to grow hair.

After I got dressed in a black dress with a v-neck and black flats (I'm terrified to wear heels and hold Willa) and then left my hair down and curly. I put on a necklace that Ron gave me as an early anniversary present/congratulations on your book present/thanks for having my baby present (it was a silver heart shaped one with our wedding date engraved on it). I walked out into the living room to find Ron trying to clean the spit up stain from Willa's nice new dress. It didn't come out so we changed her into a light yellow one that Ginny had made her and changed the headband. It wasn't as fancy as the first but still cute. Her father was wearing a pair of nice pants and a light blue button up shirt.

"Ready my love?" Ron asked after he kissed me and told me I looked beautiful.

"Yes I am?" I said, kissing him again quickly. "Are you ready baby girl?" I asked Willa, smiling at her. She smiled back at me and cooed. I laughed and her smile got even bigger. "Let's go Wil." I said. She smiled at me and reached for my mouth again.

So adorable!

x

"Drinks are by the balcony, food is laid out on the dinning room table and Ron is here to set up the good music!" Ginny said once she opened the door. She was dressed in one of her own dresses but maternity style…she was nearly nine months pregnant and due in two weeks.

"I can only have one." I said, referring to the drinks. "If I have more than one it'll affect my breast milk."

"Thanks for sharing." Harry said as he came to greet us at the door. Ginny and I rolled our eyes. Ron wasn't bothered by this kind of talk. By now he was used to it.

"I can't even have one." Ginny said. "If I drink…it'll affect my baby."

"Are you excited? Two weeks." I said. Ron took Willa to go see Sasha and Trey.

"Yeah. We've talked about it and decided there are a lot of things to look forward to and it'll be rough at first but we'll manage." Harry said. I smiled.

"I'm happy for you. You guys are going to be great parents." I said. The doorbell rang again.

"I'll get it." Ginny said excitedly. I left them by the door and joined Ron and Willa with Sasha and Trey.

"Hey mom. How are you doing? You look great." Sasha said. We'd seen each other a week ago but during the pregnancy I had been extra self-conscious so Sasha always tried to make me feel better.

"Thank you." I smiled. I still liked the compliments.

"I'm going to go take care of the music." Ron said. "I'll be right back." He kissed Willa on the forehead and handed her to me before going to get the music started. At parties, everyone always loved the music that Ron played so that was his job at parties.

"Can I hold her?" I turned around to see Luna there looking happier than ever. She had been ever since she found out that she was pregnant.

"Yes of course." I said. I handed Willa to one of the many expecting mothers at the party (the others were Ginny, Susan, and Hannah). "Do you mind if I go get something to drink?" I asked Luna.

"Not at all." Luna said, looking at Willa as she was drifting off to sleep. Sasha looped her arm through mine and we walked over to fix ourselves a drink.

"So you're moving soon. Are you excited?" Sasha asked. My eyes were focused on Luna, making sure that Willa was ok as I answered.

"I can't wait to move." I said, smiling. "I'm going to miss everyone a lot but I'm excited to do this. I think Willa's really going to love growing up there."

"We're going to visit you all the time on long weekends." Sasha assured me. "I wouldn't want to move there but California is a beautiful area and I wouldn't mind visiting."

"Good." I said, sincerely meaning it.

"And Willa is going to need someone to take her and her mommy shopping for cute clothes." Sasha said. I laughed.

"I'm going to miss you." I said. I hugged Sasha. "Really, if it weren't for you this year I never would have gone to school or found out where all the nice maternity clothing stores are or met a really great friend."

"I know." Sasha agreed, hugging me back. "You've been a really great friend this past year and I'm going to miss you too."

"Very nice ladies." Trey said smiling at us. Sasha and I laughed, both wiping our eyes. "I'll miss you too." Trey said, opening his arms for a hug.

"And I'll miss you and your jokes." I said, hugging Trey.

"This isn't even the final goodbye." Sasha pointed out. "We still have the real goodbye before you leave on the thirtieth."

"Oh good, we have to do this all over again." I said, sarcastically, wiping my eyes and looking over at my daughter again. "I have to go get Willa." I said, noticing Willa fussing in Luna's arms. "We'll finish later." I said. I hurried away to relieve Luna of Willa.

"She was fine until the music came on." Luna explained. "She looked like she was dozing off but now she's awake."

"She's like her daddy with the music." I explained, lifting Willa out of Luna's arms. "And I think she needs to be changed." I thanked Luna for watching Willa and grabbed the diaper bag before going to change her.

When we came back out into the party more people had arrived making it almost a full house in the large living room. And Willa, being the popular girl that she was, was immediately sought out and everyone wanted to hold her. Unfortunately she began crying so Ron and I had to take her into another room to calm her down and then we put the most popular guest to sleep.

People were disappointed to find out she had fallen asleep but the party went on (because I had pictures). There were other moments of sentiment like the one with Sasha and Trey with other friends.

"Promise you'll be back for when I have my baby?" Luna asked as we ended our goodbye.

"I promise. And I promise that when you're so angry because you're nine months pregnant and just want to give birth…I won't hold the comments to you." I said.

"Aw, thank you!" Luna said, tearing up.

Finally the party had to end. Most of the guests had to catch the 12:45 Portkey back to London. We said goodbye until it was Ginny, Harry, Sasha, Trey, Ron and I left. Willa was stirring so I went to go feed her. I came back with her in my arms since she was now awake.

"Look at this. She's smiling again." I said, wanting to show off my smiling baby.

"She's happy!" Sasha said. "It's so adorable!" Everyone crowded around Willa and took turns holding her and trying to make her full on laugh. We didn't have much luck but she smiled at every one of our goofy faces.

"Well, I think I'm going to turn in." Ginny said. "Oh, ow!" She grabbed her stomach and her face twisted in pain.

"Gin?" Harry asked unsurely. Ginny stood up straight.

"Sorry." She said. "I just been having these stomach aches for the past hour. They come and go but this one was the worst." Sasha and I knew what was going on. Our faces lit up.

"Maybe you should go lay down." Trey suggested.

"Yeah, just relax. It'll probably go away." Ron assured her.

"Come on, I'll take you to bed." Harry said.

"She's in labor!" Sasha exclaimed.

"No, but my water didn't break and I'm not due for another two weeks." Ginny said but even as she said it she knew what Sasha said was true.

"Did you read any of the pregnancy books?" I asked Ginny. She shook her head.

"I only read the books about the baby. I thought you'd tell me about the pregnancy part." Ginny said, clutching her stomach and making a face.

"Well, Gin. This is the most important part, you're having a baby!" I exclaimed, smiling. Willa was smiling and cooing too. Harry looked half surprised, half nervous while Trey and Ron just looked surprised.

"I am!" Ginny exclaimed and then her face fell. "And I'm still in Paris. Is there time to go to St. Mungo's?"

"No we have to go to the nearest hospital." I said. I began gathering Willa's things and strapping her into her stroller. "We'll try and get Healer Statham here as soon as possible. Harry get the coats and Ginny's overnight bag, Ron call your parents, Trey get the camera, and Sasha help Ginny downstairs. We'll all meet there in ten minutes."

"OW!!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Scratch that. Five minutes. Now let's go people!" I exclaimed. Everyone hopped to order to get Ginny to the hospital.

We arrived at the nearest French Wizard Hospital in ten minutes. Ginny's contractions were getting worse. Trey did the translating as we walked into the lobby. It was requested by Harry and Ginny for this information to be kept quiet and only immediate family and close friends were permitted into the waiting room. Ginny gave them a quick list of names that were okayed to come in and then they wheeled her off into a hospital room.

Molly and Arthur were there as quick as they could be after taking a Portkey. Fred and Angelina were the next to arrive and then Bill and Fleur. George and Alicia rushed in seconds afterwards and Charlie and Alison were right behind them. Percy and Penelope came last, filling up the waiting room.

Harry came to report that she was seven centimeters and it shouldn't be long now. She also wanted to see me. I left Willa with Ron and went to the room where Ginny was. I found her sitting in her hospital bed, crying.

"What's wrong?" I asked, hurrying to her bedside.

"I'm scared." She admitted. "Not about giving birth but about having a baby. This is it. I'm having a baby. This is for real  
Hermione and I'm scared to death."

"But I thought you were ready? What happened to wanting a family?" I asked, sitting down on the end of her bed.

"I did." Ginny said, sobbing. "When it sounded like the fantasy life." She wiped at her eyes but more tears replaced them. "I thought it was going to be the perfect life but I look at you and Ron and see reality. I know you love Willa but I can see the circles under your eyes and every time I hear Willa cry I know that you two are going to be there to fix whatever's wrong. With my baby I can't do that. I have to be the one that's there. I have to be the one who doesn't sleep."

"Ginny, Its called motherhood." I said, laughing and grabbing one of her hands. "It may sound overwhelming but it's the greatest thing in the world. Imagine what it'll be like when you see her for the first time…or in two months when she smiles for the first time. These are amazing things that make the sleep-deprived nights and crying until you want to cut your ears off worthwhile."

"Even for me?" Ginny asked. "Is it possible that an eighteen-year old, unmarried, girl can raise a baby?"

"Ginny yes you are eighteen and yes you are unmarried but you're not a girl. You're a responsible woman who made a few mistakes along the way but you've got a successful business going and you've given great advice to most of England. And you're planning a wedding to the man you love who is also the father of your baby. You're right to be scared but know that you can do this. It's not something to take on lightly but you have the capability to raise that little girl into a wonderful woman just like her mum is." Ginny smiled through her tears. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.

"Bring it on." She said, still smiling. In a second her expression changed to pained. She grabbed her stomach and cried out. The contraction ended and Ginny loosened up. "Ok, I'm ready." She said. I smiled at her and leaned in to give her a hug.

"Be brave." I whispered before changing places with Harry. I waved goodbye before Ginny cried in pain again. She was ready…not only physically but she was mentally prepared to be a mother as well.

I walked into the waiting room where I found Ron asleep. Angelina was holding Willa while everyone else was nodding off. I lifted up Willa from Angelina's arms and told her that she should rest her eyes for a little bit as well.

"Let's go get something for Auntie Ginny and her baby at the gift shop." I said to Willa. She just stared blankly at me but I decided to take that as an "Ok, let's go mum!"

Upon coming across where we came into I noticed a crowd in the lobby and most of those people had cameras. Looks like word got out that 'Ask Ginny' was having Harry Potter's kid. Willa and I walked all the way around just to avoid them and then we made it to the gift shop.

"Now what should we get your new cousin?" I asked Willa. She responded by yawning. "We have to get you to bed after we buy something for your cousin." I told her.

Willa and I looked around the gift shop for something to give the new baby. We finally decided on a big teddy bear with a pink t-shirt that read _Welcome To The World Baby _(in French), a bouquet of lilies with a card that said, _Welcome to the world Baby Potter! Love: Willa_, and a balloon. I lifted the bag of gifts along with Willa and we headed back to the waiting room. Everyone was awake now and looking anxious.

"What's wrong?" I asked, falling into the seat next to Ron and placing Willa back in her stroller to sleep.

"They had to do an emergency c-section." Ron said. "Something was wrong. Harry didn't stay long to tell us."

"An emergency c-section?" I asked.

"It was something with the umbilical cord." Sasha informed me.

"She'll be ok though right? Ginny and the baby?" I asked, worriedly. The looks I received let me know that no one was really sure.

The wait began. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, waiting to hear any news at all. Eventually I began pacing, something that I do when I'm nervous. I kept trying to breath normally but I was too focused on the negative. After some pacing, Ron pulled me back into the seat and wrapped his arms around me. I rested against his shoulder and tried not to think about it.

Finally the doors to the waiting room opened and Harry came out. He didn't look happy at all; he looked upset.

"The baby's out." Harry said. His voice wasn't steady. "But the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck." His hands went to cover his face. "They took her to the…" He couldn't finish the sentence. I got up to hug him. I wanted to ask if she was going to be ok but I didn't want to make things worse. I stood there, trying to comfort Harry while he tried to stop crying. After a minute Harry left to go back and check on Ginny. I felt like crying. Ron got up and put his arm around me while I turned to hug him. This wasn't fair. Neither of them were ready for this in the beginning but they had finally got used to the idea and now…now what. Was she going to be ok? We all sat in the waiting room, anxious to find out if she was ok. I looked at my own baby. I couldn't bear it if something happened to her…

We waited for a while. No one really spoke; everyone was too anxious and nervous. Molly was a wreck, Arthur looked devastated, the other mothers and fathers in the family looked at their children feeling the same thing I had, and Fred and George who always looked forward to more additions in the Weasley family were heartbroken. No one was really moving or talking but eventually Max woke up crying and when one baby cried it set the others off. There were five screaming babies in one room so I picked up Willa, Percy had Greg, Alison lifted up Max, and Bill and Fleur lifted up Alexis and Cecilia. Nothing was really calming Willa so Ron and I took her out of the waiting room and tried to find a quiet place to calm her down. It helped get my mind off Ginny and her baby.

"Do you think the baby will be ok?" Ron asked after Willa was changed and calmed down.

"I hope so." I said, kissing Ron and prayed that this was true. We stayed in the hallway for a few moments even though Willa was calm. Neither of us was ready to go back in there.

"Come on. We should get back in there." Ron said. "Willa looks like she's about to fall asleep." I nodded and took his hand. Ron and I walked back into the quiet room where we placed Willa back in her stroller and waited.

All together it was an hour before the doors opened again. My breath caught in my throat as I watched the doors open. It almost looked as if it was in slow motion that the door opened while we awaited the news.

I let out a strangled laugh/cry when I saw Harry standing there with a huge smile on his face and a pink bundle in his arms.

"This is Lily-Lyn Potter." He announced. "I'm a dad!"

The mood in the room changed completely. Everyone was crying happy tears (me), congratulating Harry, or wanting to see Lily-Lyn.

x

Everything felt as it should be in our lives. Harry and Ginny were living in Pairs with their new baby Lily-Lyn, Neville, Luna, and other friends of ours were expecting babies, the Weasley family was happy with a brand new addition, and Willa, Ron, and I were California bound.

**A/n: Look out for California Bound coming soon and please review!!!!!**


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